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V'7 

ECHOES    FROM 
A    PIONEER    LIFE 


By 
JARED  MAURICE  ARTER,  D.  D. 

Harper's  Ferry,  W.  Va. 


1922  : 

A.  B.  CALDWELL  PUBLISHING  CO., 

ATLANTA,  GEORGIA 


Copyright,  1922 
JARED   MAURICE   ARTER 


Dedicated  to  Mrs.  Maggie  Wall  Arter  and  Charles  Oliver  Arter 
(mother  and  son) 


Z 

T 


TABLE     OF     CONTENTS 

A  Sketch  of  Harper's  Ferry 123 

A  Message  to  the  Race 72 

A  Temperance  Sermon 98 

A  More  Comprehensive  View  of  Work  at  Hill  Top 51 

Address  Delivered    on  105th  Anniversary  of    Birthday 
of  Abraham  Lincoln 117 

An  Address  of  Importance  of  S.  S.  and  Its  Work 120 

Baccalaureate  Sermon  Delivered    to    Graduating    Class 
Lynchburg  Seminary : 88 

Baccalaureate  Sermon  Delivered    to  Graduating    Class, 
Cairo  High  School „ 92 

Baccalaureate  Sermon   Delivered   to   Graduating   Class, 
Blueneld,  W.  Va. !___  95 

Birth  and  Early  Boyhood 9 

Extracts  from  Address  at  Celebration  of  Fifty  Years  of 
Freedom  113 

Jared's  First  Four  Years  of  Freedom 13 

Jared's  Installation  and  Work  at  Hill  Top,  W.  Va 43 

Jared's  Teaching  at  Fayetteville  and  Recall  to  Work  at 
Harper's  Ferry 64 

Life,  Teaching  and  Work  in  Cairo  Mission  Field 33 

Life  at  Storer  and  Teaching  in  Preparation  for  College- _  24 

Sermon  Delivered  to  Woman's  Baptist  State  Convention_101 

Sermon  Delivered  to  S.  S.  Convention 104 

Sermon  Delivered  to  W.  Va.  Baptist  State  Convention 107 

Sermon  to  National  Training  School  for    Women    and 
Girls 110 

Three  Years  of  Struggle  and  Uncertainty 21 


CHAPTER    1 

BIRTH  AND  EARLY  BOYHOOD 

The  subject  of  this  autobiography,  Jared  Maurice  Arter, 
was  born  a  slave  Jan.  27,  1850.  He  first  saw  the  light  in  a 
little  one-room  log  cabin,  on  a  small  farm  lying  on  both 
sides  of  the  Winchester  Turnpike  and  the  Shepherdstown 
Highway,  at  their  crossing. 

The  Big  House  on  this  farm,  located  four  miles  from 
each,  marked  the  half-way  point  between  the  now  famous 
towns  of  Harper's  Ferry  and  Charles  Town  both  in  Jefferson 
County,  W.  Va.  Jared  well  remembers  the  John  Brown 
Raid  and  the  great  excitement  arising  therefrom. 

The  master  of  the  Little  plantation,  William  Schaeffer, 
of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  extraction,  was  inspector  of  arms  in 
the  United  States  Arsenal  at  Harper's  Ferry.  He  was  ac- 
customed to  rise  and  leave  home  on  horseback  at  5  o'clock 
of  mornings,  to  eat  breakfast  with  his  mother  and  father 
in  Bolivar,  and  to  go  from  there  to  his  work  in  the  arsenal. 
On  the  morning  of  the  John  Brown  Raid  he  left  at  5  o'clock 
as  usual.  Soon  the  news  spread  that  Brown  and  his  men 
had  made  a  raid  through  the  county  on  the  previous  night, 
had  taken  into  custody  a  number  of  the  leading  citizens,  had 


■■■!■■■  -.  ■  v 

••:..-.•:■■•■•:•  /■• 


ORIGINAL  PLAN  OF  THE  BUILDINGS  OF  WEST  VIRGINIA  INDUSTRIAL 
SCHOOL  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY  AND  COLLEGE 


10  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  FIFE 

captured  Harper's  Ferry  and  the  arsenal  and  had  barricaded 
himself  and  his  men  in  the  engine-house  of  the  armory 
and  was  holding  the  captured  citizens  as  prisoners  or  hos- 
tages. 

For  a  brief  while  all  sorts  of  rumors  were  afloat,  and 
all  the  day  long  groups  of  men  on  horseback,  armed  with 
revolvers  shot  guns,  and  rifles,  could  be  seen  going  towards 
Harper's  Ferry,  the  scene  of  excitement.  These  accom- 
plished nothing.  Troops  of  two  States,  Virginia  and  Mary- 
land, and  a  company  of  U.  S.  Marines  were  summoned  and 
after  two  days  succeeded  in  dislodging  and  capturing  Brown 
and  his  sixteen  white  comrades. 

The  trial,  conviction  and  hanging  in  Charles  Town  of 
John  Brown  and  six  of  his  men  is  familiar  history. 

On  the  day  of  his  execution,  Dec.  2,  1859,  he  handed 
this  paper  to  one  of  his  guards :  "I,  John  Brown,  am  now 
quite  certain  that  the  crimes  of  this  guilty  land  will  never 
be  purged  away  but  with  blood.  I  had,  as  I  now  think,  vainly 
flattered  myself  that  without  very  much  bloodshed  it  might 
be  done."  Within  a  year  and  a  half  from  the  day  of  his 
death,  the  North  and  the  South  were  at  war  with  each  other, 
and  a  Northern  regiment,  on  its  way  to  the  front,  was  sing- 
ing: 

"John  Brown's  body  lies  a-moldering  in  the  grave: 

But  his  soul  is  marching  on." 
When  Brown  was  hanged  the  excitement,  ran  so  high 
and  fear  was  so  great  that  his  friends  in  the  North  might 
attempt  to  rescue  him  that  few  persons  except  strong  men 
were  permitted  to  witness  the  execution. 

But  Jared  stood  beside  his  mother,  holding  to  her  apron 
and  saw  hanged  four  of  Brown's  men,  Cook,  Coppie,  Green, 
and  Stephens.  The  scene  all  around  was  very  war-like,  but 
Jared  at  the  time  knew  little  of  what  it  all  meant.  Soon 
the  flames  of  a  dreadful  war  broke  forth  and  raged  for 
four  years. 

More  than  once  Jared  saw  the  great  Federal  and  Con- 
federate armies  marching  along  the  highway,  moving  some- 
times westward,  sometimes  eastward,  sometimes  deliber- 
ately, sometimes  in  hasty  retreat.     Twice  in  the  course  of 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 


11 


that  war,  and  for  several  weeks  each  time,  the  home  of 
the  master  and  slaves  was  between  the  firing  lines  of  the 
two  armies. 

Some  nerve-wrecking  scenes  were  witnessed  at  these 
times,  especially  when  assaults  were  made  by  first  one  side 
and  then  the  other,  or  when  the  pickets  were  being  relieved, 
or  when  a  determined  and  stubborn  effort  was  made  by  one 
army  to  drive  the  other  back. 

The  cellars  of  the  homes  were  much  used  at  these  times. 

The  last  time  that  this  situation  occurred,  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1863,  one  could  scarcely  venture  to  go  to  the  spring, 
wood-pile  or  garden  without  being  shot  at. 


REV.  JARED  M.  ARTER,  PH.  B., 
D.  D.,  PRESIDENT  (VEST  V A.  IN- 
DUSTRIAL SCHOOL,  THEOLOGICAL 
SEMINARY  AND  COLLEGE,  AND 
PRINCIPAL  HILL  TOP  GRADED 
SCHOOL,  FROM  SEPT.  1,  1908,  TO 
JUNE  15,  1915. 


12  ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER  LIFE 

Jared  knows  almost  nothing  of  his  direct  ancestry  be- 
yond his  mother  and  father.  His  father,  Jeremiah  Arter, 
was  a  slave,  belonging  to  Wm.  Grove  of  Driffield,  Jefferson 
Co.,  W.  Va.  He  was  married  three  times.  In  height  he 
was  about  six  feet,  weighing  about  200  pounds,  of  dark  com- 
plexion, positive  and  stern  in  disposition,  and  could  read  and 
write  a  little,  was  quick-witted,  especially  good  in  figures,  a 
miller  by  trade,  having  had  charge,  at  different  times,  of 
four  different  mills.  These  were  at  Charles  Town,  Flowing 
Springs,  Halltown,  and  the  Bloomery,  all  in  Jefferson 
County.  He  was  much  thought  of  by  his  master  and  by  all 
who  knew  him  intimately.  He  died  at  the  age  of  72  from 
paralysis,  the  effect  of  a  fall  down  the  stairway  of  the  mill. 
This  accident  occurred  in  1857,  just  preceding  the  Civil 
War.  But  like  many  other  slaves  he  seems  to  have  gotten 
a  vision  of  the  coming  freedom.  Jared's  mother,  Hannah 
Frances  Stephenson  Arter,  was  a  slave,  and  38  years 
younger  than  his  father.  She  was  illiterate,  but  quite  in- 
telligent, a  devout  Christian.  Queenly,  cultured,  and  refined 
through  having  grown  up  in  the  services  of  some  of  the 
first  families  of  Virginia.  She  had  a  strain  of  Indian  but  a 
larger  per  cent  of  white  blood  coursing  through  her  veins. 
She  was  thoroughly  up  in  domestic  science  as  acquired 
by  practice.  She  was  highly  respected  by  the  people  of  the 
neighborhood,  white  and  colored,  was  very  motherly  toward 
all  and  was  much  respected  and  loved  by  all  the  children 
of  the  little  plantation  both  white,  and  other  colored  chil- 
dren, as  well  as  by  her  own. 

She  was  married  the  second  time.  She  and  her  family 
were  freed  by  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  of  1863;  and 
in  the  fall  of  1864  with  second  husband  and  seven  children 
by  first  husband,  and  two  children  by  second  marriage,  she 
moved  to  Washington,  D.  C,  where  she  and  most  of  the 
family  remained  about  16  years. 


JARED'S  MOTHER,  MRS.  HANNAH  FRANCES  STEPHENSON  ARTER 


CHAPTER    II 

JARED'S   FIRST   FOUR    YEARS    OF   FREEDOM.      HIS 
HOME  AND  WORK  IN  A  PRIVATE  FAMILY 

Shortly  after  moving  to  Washington,  a  home  was 
found  for  Jared  in  a  private  family  by  the  name  of  Wealch, 
in  Georgtown,  now  West  Washington.  The  head  of  this  fam- 
ily, Mr.  Wealch,  with  Mr.  Herr,  formed  the  great  flouring  mill 
firm  of  Wealch  and  Herr  of  Georgetown.  Jared's  stepfather, 
for  a  number  of  years,  worked  for  this  firm.  In  this  family, 
.Tared  remained  for  about  five  months.  His  'principal  work 
was  to  make  up  fires,  to  care  for  the  dining  room  and  wait 
table  and  to  run  errands.  Jared  orot  alone:  well  most  part 
of  the  time  in  his  new  line  of  work,  was  sometimes  highly 
praised  and  encouraged  bv  good  words  and  "tins"  from  the 
head  of  the  family  and  his  sons ;  at  other  times  it  fell  to  his 
lot  to  be  braced  uo  sharply  bv  severe  scoldings  and  ke^n- 
pdared  chastising  lectures  from  Mrs.  Wealch,  or  Mrs. 
Stephenson  the  married  daughter,  or  from  some  one  of  the 
four  single  daughters. 

There  were  three  sons  in  the  family,  all  srown  un. 
sino-le  young  men.  two  of  whom  were  verv  stately  and 
aristocratic.  From  these  Jared  received  a  number  of  favors, 
but  never  an  unpleasant  word. 

Only  once  did  Mr.  Wealch  sneak  nnkindlv  to  him,  and 
then  his  words  were  «o  terrifving  and  his  manner  so  menac- 
ing" that  Jared's  rabbit  blood  took  possession  of  his  being 
and  he  fled  for  refuge  to  the  home  of  his  mother  in  Wash- 
ington. 

The  Wealch  famiW  and  his  own  parents  tried  to  per- 
suade Jared  to  return,  but  Providence  ordered  otherwise. 

In  one  of  the  Washington  papers  of  that  evening  was 
seen  an  advertisement  for  a  'bell-bov  at  Dver's  Hotel.  Jared 
answ^r^d  it  and  was  turned  down,  because  of  failure  to 
stand  the  test  of  reading  numbers.  He  returned  home,  took 
lessons  that  night  from  a  brother-in-law  and  answered  the 
advertisement  again  the  next  morning  and  secured  the  posi- 
tion. 


14  ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER  LIFE 

Here  Jared  remained  some  three  or  four  months ;  and 
while  here  Providence  was  opening  the  door  of  hope  and 
opportunity  a  little  wider. 

Jared  early  showed  interest  in  learning;  his  first 
teacher  was  his  father;  his  second  was  his  old  mistress.  In 
the  spring  of  1865  his  mother  received  a  somewhat  flatter- 
ing proposition  from  a  business  man  of  the  State  of  New 
York  to  educate,  train  and  equip  with  trades  her  two  older 
boys,  on  condition  they  be  bound  out  to  him  until  twenty- 
one  years  of  age. 

Jared's  mother  decided  she  could  not  spare  William, 
the  older;  neither  did  William  care  to  go.  But  Jared,  the 
younger,  craved  to  go,  and  pleaded  for  the  privilege.  It 
was  granted  and  he  went. 

HIS  TRIP  NORTH  AND  HOME  IN  NEW  YORK  STATE 

The  time  of  starting,  as  Jared  recalls  it,  was  early  in  the 
month  of  April.  He  left  home  cheerfully,  on  his  trip  North, 
under  the  care  of  a  Union  sold'er,  a  captain,  returning  home, 
having  been  mustered  out  of  the  service  at  the  close  of  the 
war.  Heavy  rainfalls  and  floods  had  done  much  damage  to 
railroads  and  bridges  of  the  sections  through  which  they 
had  to  pass.  This  added  quite  a  little  to  the  time  and  dis- 
tance of  the  trin.  After  much  delay,  here  and  there,  and 
running  over  other  roads  to  reach  desired  points,  they  ar- 
rived at  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  about  9  o'clock  at  night,  and  took 
the  stage  for  Newfield,  a  village  eight  miles  distant,  in 
Tomokins  County,  N.  Y.  There  they  arrived  about  10:30 
P.  M.  and  Jared  was  ushered  by  the  Captain  into  his  new 
home,  a  large  brown,  roomy  two-story  structure  with  beau- 
tiful front  and  back  porches,  and  beautiful  front,  side  and 
back  yards  decorated  with  trees,  rose-bushes  and  flowers. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  W.  W.  Avers  and  their  daughter,  Mary, 
ten  years  of  age,  and  some  near  relatives  and  friends  of 
the  family,  were  there  to  meet,  greet  and  welcome  the 
captain.  They  also  gave  Jared  a  cordial  welcome  and  tried 
to  make  him  feel  at  ease  and  as  comfortable  as  possible  in 
his  new  home  and  somewhat  strange  environments.  Mr. 
Ayers,   and   Mr.   Nathaniel   Gillett,   his   brother-in-law,   in 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  15 

partnership,  ran  a  grocery,  clothing-,  and  drug  store  in  the 
village,  and  had  their  homes  on  Main  Street  opposite  each 
other. 

Despite  the  cordial  welcome  and  the  gentle  and  kindly 
manner  in  which  Jared  was  broken  into  his  new  home,  en- 
vironments and  life,  for  a  time,  a  feeling  of  loneliness, 
strangeness,  and  embarrassment  was  experienced.  One 
very  trying  experience  growing  out  of  this  embarrassment 
is  well  remembered.  Jared  was  taken  into  the  Ayers  home 
as  one  of  the  family.  He  was  regularly  seated  at  the  table 
with  them  for  his  meals.  For  breakfast  in  winter  time 
cakes.  They  seldom  if  ever  failed  in  this  morning  service 
of  bread  during  the  whole  of  Jared's  stay  with  them. 

The  remainder  of  the  breakfast  service  consisted  of 
some  species  of  breakfast  food,  canned  or  other  fruits  and 
vegetables,  potatoes,  eggs,  steak,  ham  or  breakfast  bacon. 
The  cakes  were  of  quality,  size  and  other  things  were  graded 
accordingly.  Three  of  these  cakes  were  as  many  as  any 
one  of  the  Ayers  family  would  eat ;  and  they  ate  as  frugally 
of  the  rest  of  the  meal  and  seemed  well  satisfied.  Their 
dinners  were  considerably  more  substantial,  but  their  sup- 
pers were  even  more  frugal  than  their  morning  meals. 
Being  in  Rome,  Jared  tried  to  do  as  Rome  did,  and  it  is 
natural  to  imitate.  So  Jared  watched  the  other  members  of 
the  family  and  for  three  or  four  days  imitated  them  pretty 
closely.  But  Jared  was  growing  rapidly,  had  a  vigorous  ap- 
petite, and  had  been  used  to  plenty  of  good,  strong,  whole- 
some food,  such  as  corn  bread,  fat  meat,  potatoes,  cabbage 
and  beans.  Had  he  eaten  to  his  full  satisfaction  of  these 
delicate  but  delicious  buckwheat  or  wheat  cakes,  a  dozen 
or  fifteen  would  not  have  been  too  many.  But  with  slight 
advance  in  quantity  of  cakes  from  three  to  five  or  six  Jared 
continued  to  imitate  the  Ayers  family  for  a  few  days.  By 
that  time  his  wolfish  appetite  was  beginning  to  assert  itself, 
almost  beyond  control.  He  got  up  from  meals  almost  as 
hungry  as  when  he  sat  down.  He  thought  of  the  cornbread, 
potatoes  and  cabbage  he  used  to  enjoy  to  the  full  on  the  old 
plantation  and  of  the  abundance  to  which  he  had  access 
through  serving  table  in  the  Wealch  home,  and  as  bell-boy 


16  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

in  Dyer's  Hotel.  But  this  was  as  a  dream  and  only  aggra- 
vated the  case.  He  must  invent  some  way  out  of  this  sore 
trial.  As  stated  before,  he  had  noted  that  the  noon  meal 
was  considerably  more  substantial  than  the  rest.  It  was 
about  his  fifth  or  sixth  day  i  nthe  home  that  he  determined 
to  remain  in  hiding  till  the  family  were  through  dinner. 
This  he  did  and  came  in  just  as  the  family  and  some 
friends  had  finished  and  left  the  dinner  table  for  the  sitting 
room.  Mrs.  Ayers  asked  Jared  where  he  had  been,  said 
she  had  called  him  several  times;  that  he  must  always  be 
present  for  his  meals,  and  that  now  he  would  have  to  eat 
all  alone  as  they  were  all  through.  Jared  forced  himself, 
violated  his  conscience,  stretched  the  blanket  (it  was  hard 
for  he  had  been  trained  to  tell  the  truth  and  had  established 
a  reputation  for  being  truthful)  got  excused  for  absence,  and 
sat  down  to  his  dinner,  happy  in  being  alone.  He  ate  out 
of  the  dishes  until  the  contents  therein  approached  so  near 
the  vanishing  point  as  to  disturb  his  nervous  system.  He 
then,  finding  pie,  pudding,  roast  beef,  sweet  potatoes  and 
other  things  left  in  the  side  dishes  of  those  who  had  gone 
before  him,  cleared  up  these  so  completely  that  the  dog  and 
cat  had  to  go  hungry  that  noon.  Mrs.  Ayers,  returning 
to  the  dining  room  and  surveying  the  table,  exclaimed, 
"Why!  Jared!  You  must  have  been  starving  yourself! 
It  is  very  evident  that  you  have  not  been  eating  enough ! 
There  is  no  need  of  that,  we  want  you  to  have  plenty. 
Hereafter  you  be  sure  you  have  enough  before  leaving  the 
table.  With  this  encouragement  and  now  feeling  more  at 
home,  Jared  had  no  further  trouble  with  hunger. 

JARED'S  PRINCIPAL  WORK  THAT  SPRING,  SUMMER 

AND  FALL 

Jared's  principal  work  that  spring,  summer  and  fall, 
was  to  assist  in  caring  for  two  horses,  to  care  for  and  milk 
one  cow,  to  plant  and  care  for  the  garden  of  the  Ayers  and 
Gillett  families  and  to  help  around  the  stores.  For  the 
first  few  weeks  Jared  was  a  sort  of  curiosity  in  the  village. 
So  far  as  he  knows  he  was  the  first  member  of  the  Negro 
race  ever  to  make  his  home  in  that  village.     His  move- 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  17 

ments  came  in  for  considerable  notice  and  remarks.  A  few 
times,  friends  of  the  Ayers  family  with  one  or  more  of  the 
family,  stood  on  the  back  porch  and  watched  Jared  at  his 
work  in  the  garden  or  about  the  premises,  remarking,  "He 
seems  strong,  spry  and  active."  "I  bet  you  he  is  a  good 
worker."  Jared  did  succeed  in  establishing  a  record  as  a 
good  worker.  He  got  along  well  with  everybody,  and 
passed  through  quite  a  successful  spring  summer  and  fall. 
Sometimes  he  was  nick-named  "Coffee,"  sometimes  "Shade." 
These  were  given  in  sport  and  taken  as  a  joke.  It  is  true, 
there  were  one  or  two  incidents  of  that  season  that  rough- 
ened Jared's  way  somewhat. 

In  the  third  month  of  his  stay  in  the  village  a  wrestling 
contest  occurred  be tween  a  number  of  the  boys  of  the  village 
and  Jared.  In  this  line  of  sports  Jared  was  at  home  and 
succeeded  in  throwing  the  champion  boy  athlete  of  the  vil- 
lage, a  youth  of  his  own  age,  the  best  two  out  of  three. 
This  developed  some  hostility,  and  led  to  some  picking  at 
Jared,  which  finally  terminated  in  a  fis-ht  between  Jared 
and  a  full-grown  brother  of  the  bov  athlete  that  had  been 
bested  in  the  wrestling  contest.  In  this  fight  Jared  was 
out-classed  and  the  combat  was  stopped.  Jared  had  been 
roughlv  handled  and  though  not  knocked  out  had  been 
decidedly  worsted.  Following  this  episode,  peace  between 
Caucasia  and  Africa  again  reigned. 

In  way  of  education  Jared  had  been  given  lessons  at 
night  bv  Minnie  Ayers.  the  daughter  and  only  child  of  th<= 
Ayers  family.  Early  in  December  Jared  entered  the  vil- 
lage graded  school.  The  teacher  was  a  ladv,  the  daughter 
of  the  captain  in  whose  charge  Jared  had  made  the  trio 
from  Washington  to  Newfield.  She  was  a  comnetent 
teacher  and  a  stern  disciplinarian.  This  was  Jared's  first 
attendance  upon  a  regularlv  organized  school  and  he  had 
several  things  to  learn  besides  book  lessons.  He  made  the 
third  grade  and  continued  to  stand  well  in  his  classes. 
Nothing  out  of  the  ordinary  occurred  except  on  two  or  three 
occasions.  One  morning  in  the  third  week  of  his  attendance 
he  had  a  somewhat  unpleasant  experience.  The  weather 
was  bitter  cold,  the  benches  between  the  desks  were  loose 


18  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

and  Jared  had  one  standing  on  end  close  to  the  stove  warm- 
ing it.  The  teacher  rang  the  bell  for  the  pupils  to  take  their 
seats.  Jared  remained  standing  at  the  stove  warming  the 
bench.  The  teacher  said  to  Jared,  "Take  your  seat."  Jared 
answered,  "Yes  Ma'am,  as  soon  as  I  can  get  this  bench 
warm."  Scarcely  had  the  words  escaped  his  lips  when  a 
large  book  thrown  by  the  teacher's  hand  struck  him  between 
the  eyes  and  felled  him  to  the  floor  as  if  shot  through  the 
heart  by  a  rifle  bullet,  the  bench  falling  on  him.  In  a  dazed 
state  he  rose  and  in  tearful  voice  inquired  what  he  had  done 
to  merit  such  treatment.  "You  insolent  wretch!"  exclaimed 
the  teacher,  "If  you  can't  obey  instantly  when  I  speak  to 
you  I  will  knock  you  senseless."  The  lesson  went  home. 
He  learned  that — 

"It  was  not  'his  to  make  reply, 
Nor  to  ask  the  reason  why, 
But  to  do  or  die." 

His  conduct  for  the  remainder  of  the  term  was  exem- 
plary. A  few  times  in  course  of  the  term  the  teacher  had 
Jared  recite  his  geography  lesson  as  an  example  for  the  rest 
of  the  class. 

In  the  following  spring  Mr.  Avers  sold  his  home  and 
business  in  Newfield  and  purchased  a  farm  of  80  acres,  two 
miles  from  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  lying  above  the  head  of  Cayuga 
Lake  and  along  the  Trunansburg  Highway.  Here  he  be- 
gan the  planting  and  development  of  a  fruit  farm. 

He  laid  off  and  mapped  out  30  acres  of  this  farm  to  be 
panted  with  the  very  best  species  of  all  kinds  of  fruit  trees, 
grape  vines,  berry  bushes,  and  other  fruit  plants.  He 
planted  some  ten  acres  the  first  year,  and  also  cultivated 
a  large  crop  of  vegetables,  especially  beans.  These  ten  acres 
for  trees  were  both  plowed  and  subso^ed.  This  .crave  Jared 
his  first  practical  knowledge  of  what  subsoiling  meant. 
Wheat,  corn,  rye,  oats,  barley  and  hay  were  grown  mainly, 
in  sufficient  quantities  for  home  use.  On  this  farm  Jared 
remained  and  worked  for  about  two  years  and  six  months, 
attending1  school  about  four  months  each  year.  It  is  easily 
seen  that  there  was  plenty  to  do.     A  hired  man  at  $25.00 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  19 

per  month  and  board  was  employed  for  eight  months  each 
year.  Along-  with  him  Jared  worked  most  of  the  time.  Mr. 
Ayers,  too,  in  part  for  the  sake  of  health,  worked  somewhere 
on  the  place  much  of  the  time. 

From  the  middle  of  November  to  the  middle  of  March 
Jared  did  the  chores  on  the  place  and  attended  the  district 
school  located  two  miles  distant  along  the  Trumansburg 
highway.  The  chores  consisted  of  feeding  and  milking  three 
cows,  caring  for  about  twenty  head  of  sheep,  from  six  to 
ten  head  of  hogs,  three  horses,  chopping  wood,  and  at  times 
hulling  beans. 

At  the  end  of  two  years  on  this  farm  Jared  having  been 
persuaded  that  he  could  do  better  and  having  become  very 
dissatisfied,  was  released  from  apprenticeship  and  put  upon 
wages.  The  following  fall,  having  served  for  wages  six 
months,  he  returned  to  Washington,  D.  C. 

It  was  in  the  course  of  these  three  years  and  six  months 
spent  by  Jared  in  the  service  of  Mr.  W.  W.  Ayers  that  he 
got  a  fairly  good  start  in  the  primary  branches  of  English, 
and  a  good  foundation  laid  in  regular  habits  of  work.  In 
Washington,  finding  the  outlook  for  employment  poor, 
and  having  spent  ten  days  with  his  mother  and  other  rela- 
tives, Jared  left  for  the  State  and  county  of  his  birth,  Jef- 
ferson County,  W.  Va.  The  corn  crop  that  year  was  large, 
work  was  plentiful  and  wages  fairly  good.  Jared  at  once, 
off  with  his  coat,  and  went  at  it.  He  shucked  corn  that  fall, 
chopped  wood  in  the  forest  in  the  early  winter,  and  in  mid- 
winter when  the  snow,  with  a  stiff  crust  on  it,  was  ten 
inches  deep,  and  when  no  other  living  soul  was  to  be  seen 
in  any  of  the  fields  around,  Jared  might  be  seen  in  a  30- 
acre  field  of  corn,  part  of  the  time,  shovel  in  hand,  cleaning 
the  snow  from  around  the  shocks  and  then  shucking  the 
corn.  Twenty  days  service  was  performed  in  that  field  that 
winter  and  the  compensation  was  $20.00  and  board.  In  the 
spring,  under  contract,  Jared  cut  nearly  one  hundred  cords 
of  wood  for  burning  brick,  and  later  worked  on  the  brick 
yard,  later  still  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  that  year,  after 
harvesting,  he  worked  on  the  fine  country  mansion  for 
which  these  brick  were  burned.     This  mansion  was  owned 


20  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

by  Mr.  Geo.  Wm.  Eichleburger,  the  owner  of  a  large  planta- 
tion and  'a  prominent  citizen  of  that  part  of  the  county. 
Jared  found  employment  with  the  brick  masons,  plasterers 
and  carpenters  on  this  building  till  Christmas,  when  he  re- 
turned to  Washington,  D.  C.  and  entered  a  private  school 
there,  taught  by  a  Mr.  Cook. 


CHAPTER     III 

THREE  YEARS  OF   STRUGGLE   AND   UNCERTAINTY 

In  the  following  spring  Jared  returned  to  Jefferson 
County,  W.  Va.,  and  secured  service  on  a  farm  near  Duffield, 
where  he  remained  through  harvest.  From  August  to 
Christmas  of  the  same  year  he  worked  for  Mr.  Wm.  Raymy 
on  the  Roper  farm  adjoining  the  Geo.  Wm.  Eichleburger 
plantation.  In  course  of  that  winter  Jared  cut  some  cord 
wood,  split  some  rails,  assisted  in  making  shingles,  and  did 
some  piddling  jobs  till  spring,  when  he  secured  work  on  the 
farm  of  Mr.  John  Yates  near  Charles  Town.  Here  he 
worked  till  July,  harvested  for  Mr.  Geo.  Wm.  Eichleburger, 
and  in  August  he  secured  service  at  the  paper  mill  of  Mr. 
Eyster  &  Co.,  Halltown,  Jefferson  County,  W.  Va.  Here 
Jared,  under  the  eleven  hour-day  system  worked  on  the 
yard  for  about  three  months,  and  was  then  transferred  to 
the  team  service.  Six  teams  of  six  mules  each  were  kept 
busy  every  week-day  hauling  loose  straw  from  distances 
requiring  one,  and  often  two-day  trips.  With  these  teams 
Jared  and  John  Harris  were  sent  as  loaders  and  assistants. 
Often  on  account  of  bad  roads,  soft  fields  and  upsets  it  was 
nine  or  ten  o'clock  at  night,  sometimes  even  as  late  as  eleven 
when  they  got  into  the  straw  sheds,  the  place  of  unloading. 
But  Jared  was  required  to  rise  at  five  o'clock  next  morning 
along  with  others  to  begin  the  unloading  that  the  teams 
might  be  ready  by  7  o'clock  to  start  on  the  next  trip.  There 
was  much  exposure  in  this  work  in  many  ways,  for  no  day 
in  the  year  was  regarded  as  too  rough  or  inclement  for  the 
teams  and  men  to  be  out  on  the  road.  Jared  remained  in 
this  service  till  April  1,  1873,  at  a  salary  of  $1.25  per  day. 

Having  been  assured  that  wages  in  Pittsburgh  were 
m'uch  better,  on  April  2,  1873,  Jared,  along  with  his  brother, 
William,  left  for  that  city,  where  they  obtained  work  at 
once  in  rolling  mills  at  $12.00  per  week  and  later  secured 
positions  on  public  work  at  $15.00  per  week. 

Before  this  in  the  summer  of  1869,  Jared  and  his 
brother,  William,  signed  a  contract  to  buy,  and  made  the 


22 


ECHOES  EROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 


first  payment  on,  a  good  home  in  Bolivar,  twin-town  to 
Harper's  Ferry.  They  at  once  wrote  their  mother  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  urging  her  to  come  and  occupy  the  new  home 
that  it  might  furnish  a  home  for  her  and  a  real  home  for 
all.  Ten  days  later,  while  waiting  to  learn  their  mother's 
decision,  their  two  sisters,  Bettie  and  Laura,  next  to  Wil- 


HOME  PURCHASED  BY  JARED  AND  WILLIAM  ARTER 
FOR  THEIR  MOTHER 


liam  and  Jared  in  age,  on  a  Sunday,  came  walking  through 
the  yard  towards  the  kitchen  of  the  old  home  plantation 
where  Jared  and  William  happened  to  be  spending  a  few 
hours  with  the  one  time  masters  and  mistresses.  Their 
sisters  informed  them  that  their  mother,  with  all  the  family 
and  belongings,  was  on  the  Maryland  side  of  the  Potomac 
at  Harper's  Ferry,  waiting  to  be  moved  into  the  new  home, 
that  the  family  and  belongings  had  been  brought  from 
Washington  to  that  point  on  a  canal  boat,  run  by  their 
brother-in-law,  Beverly  Payton.  Jared  and  his  brother, 
William,  secured  from  Mr.  Schaeffer  the  use  of  his  team  and 
at  once  hitched  four  horses  to  the  large  farm  wagon,  drove 
to  the  ferry  and  moved  all  into  their  new  home,  consisting 
of  their  mother,  stepfather,  three  younger  brothers,  two 
sisters,  and  a  niece.     Jared  and  his  brother  William  had 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  23 

planned  and  hoped  to  be  in  position  to  enter  Storer  College 
by  the  fall  of  1871,  but  the  enterprise  of  purchasing  a  home 
and  having  their  mother  move  from  Washington  there  to 
make  a  home  for  all,  and  their  stepfather  being  sick  with 
a  spell  that  disabled  him  for  any  outdoor  service  for  more 
than  two  years,  caused  nearly  the  whole  weight  of  providing 
for  the  family  to  fall  upon  them.  As  a  result  they  had  to 
delay  their  plan  of  entering  Storer  for  two  years. 


CHAPTER    IV 

LIFE  AT  STORER  AND  TEACHING  IN  PREPARATION 
FOR  COLLEGE 

October  first,  1873,  Jared  and  his  brother  William  re- 
turned from  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  made  the  last  payment  of 
$100.00  each  on  their  home  and  entered  Storer  College.  Here 
they  found  a  fine  body  of  students,  for  most  part  healthy, 
thrifty  and  alert,  and  a  corps  of  teachers,  scholarly,  devout, 
faithful  and  painstaking.  Among  them  were  the  founders 
of  the  school.  Hon.  N.  C.  Brackett,  Ph.  D.,  came  to  Har- 
per's Ferry,  W.  Va.,  in  '65  as  principal  and  founder  of 
Storer.  He  was  an  ordained  minister  of  the  Gospel,  a  flu- 
ent speaker,  scholarly,  and  a  remarkably  fine  teacher;  had 
fine  business  qualities,  and  was  a  man  of  very  great  patience. 
He  was  the  man  for  the  place  and  times. 

Mrs.  Louise  W.  Brackett,  wife  of  Dr.  N.  C.  Brackett, 
came  to  Harper's  Ferry  in  '65  as  one  of  the  founders  and 
teachers  of  Storer.  She  was  scholarly  and  brilliant,  a  fine 
teacher  and  splendid  disciplinarian  and  thorough  in  her 
work.  A  devout  and  memorable  factor  of  inestimable 
worth  in  the  history  of  Storer. 

Mrs.  Laura  Brackett  Lightner,  sister  of  Dr.  N.  C. 
Brackett,  came  to  Harper's  Ferry  as  one  of  the  teachers 
of  Storer  in  '70.  She  was  calm,  deliberate,  patient,  pains- 
taking, persevering,  in  every  way  a  fine  teacher.  She  is 
still  with  the  school  (1922)  as  Treasurer. 

Rev.  A.  H.  Morrell  of  Maine,  came  into  the  mission 
work  of  Shenandoah  Valley  in  '65  and  into  the  work  at 
Storer  as  evangelist,  pastor  and  theological  teacher  in  '67. 
He  was  very  spiritual,  devout,  magnetic,  consecrated,  whole- 
souled.  Jared  and  all  who  came  under  the  instruction  of 
these  faithful  teachers  owe  them  much. 

Miss  Annie  Dudley,  now  Mrs.  Annie  Dudley  Bates,  came 
into  the  Christian  Mission  work  of  the  Shenandoah  Valley 
in  '65,  and  remained  for  a  number  of  years.  She  was  a 
whole-souled,  consecrated  woman,  overflowing  with  the  evan- 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 


25 


gelistic   spirit.     She   will  always   be   well   remembered   by 
those  who  sat  under  her  influence. 


DR.  N.  C.  BRACKETT,  MRS.  LOUISE  W.  BRACKET!  AND  MRS.  LAURA 
BRACKETT  LIGHTNER,  FOUNDERS  OF  STORER  COLLEGE 

Here  soon  after  entering  Storer  Jared  was  asked  by 
Mrs.  L.  W.  Brackett  to  sign  a  temperance  card  on  paper, 
which  he  did  gladly,  as  he  had  never  learned  to  use  tobacco 
in  any  form  or  to  drink  intoxicating  liquor  in  any  form 
or  to  indulge  in  profanity.  This  act  became  a  matter  of 
consicence  with  Jared.  And  not  only  did  he  keep  sacredly 
this  pledge,  but  there  grew  up  in  his  mind  a  strong  prejudice 
against  these  degrading  habits  and  evil  practices.  Indeed 
he  has  reason  to  be  proud,  especially  thankful  since  he  is 
quite  convinced  that  the  moral  conviction,  sentiments  and 


26  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

strength  entering  his  life  from  this  first  positive  pledge  and 
open  stand  against  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors  as  a  bever- 
age account  very  largely  for  the  very  creditable  part  he 
took  in  a  strong  prohibition  campaign  while  a  student  in 
Hilldale  College,  and  for  the  campaign  he  helped  to  wage 
against  the  saloon  while  in  the  Cairo  Misison,  meeting  every 
Sunday  afternoon  with  others  in  the  county  court-house,  or 
elsewhere,  speaking  against  the  evils  of  the  saloon  and  the 
liquor  business,  seeking  abolition,  and  for  the  joy  that  comes 
into  his  soul  at  every  item  of  news  announcing  the  success 
of  the  temperance  movement  and  the  downfall  of  the  saloon. 

Here,  too,  in  the  fall  of  '73,  under  the  lucid  and  power- 
ful preaching  of  Rev.  A.  H.  Morrell,  Jared  was  led  fully  to 
accept  Christ  and  from  that  until  now  he  has  been  a  sol- 
dier of  the  cross,  fighting  along  the  upward  way. 

After  six  years  of  hard  study  and  diligent  application, 
teaching  primary  schools  a  part  of  three  years,  and  by  study- 
ing through  three  summer  school  terms,  Jared  became  pre- 
pared for  college. 

In  the  fall  of  1879,  he  entered  the  Freshman  Class  of 
Pennsylvania  State  College.  He  was  cordially  received  by 
the  student  body,  and  so  far  as  he  knows,  he  was  the  first 
Negro  student  to  enter  that  institution.  The  following 
two  years  he  remained  out  of  school  and  taught  the  district 
school  of  Rippon,  Jefferson  County,  W.  Va.,  the  same  school 
he  had  taught  for  two  school  years  before  entering  college. 

In  the  fall  of  1882,  he  entered  the  Sophomore  Class  of 
Hillsdale  College,  Hillsdale,  Mich.  Being  a  little  short  of 
the  full  requirements  in  Greek,  he  graduated,  Ph.  B.,  with 
the  class  of  '85. 

The  next  two  years  he  taught  the  same  district  school 
of  Rippon. 

In  the  summer  of  1887,  having  been  licensed  several 
years  before,  he  was  ordained  to  the  Gospel  ministry,  called 
as  pastor  of  the  college  church,  and  elected  as  a  teacher  in 
Storer  College. 

This  position  he  held  for  four  years,  teaching  four, 
sometimes  five  subjects  in  the  college,  and  pastoring  in  the 
church. 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  27 

It  was  in  the  course  of  Jared's  pastorate  at  this  period 
that  the  foundation  of  the  present  college  church  was  built 
and  the  cornerstone  laid.  He  resigned  in  the  summer  of 
1891  and  entered  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  and  graduated,  B.  D.,  with  the  class  of  '94,  and 
matriculated  in  Chicago  University  for  the  summer  term. 
Shortly  after  graduation  he  was  ordained  as  a  gospel  min- 
ister of  the  Missionary  Baptist  denomination  and  received 
a  call  to  the  pastorate  of  two  Baptist  churches,  one  at  Dan- 
ville, 111.,  and  another  about  30  miles  northeast  of  Chicago. 
Having  received  an  urgent  offer  to  teach  in  the  Baptist 
Theological  Seminary  at  Lynchburg,  Va.,  Jared  accepted 
the  call  to  serve  in  the  seminary.  This  school  had  been 
projected  in  the  early  eighties  by  the  Baptists  of  Virginia 
under  the  leadership  of  Rev.  Dr.  Morris,  pastor  of  Court 
Street  Baptist  Church  of  Lynchburg. 

Later  the  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society  was 
asked  to  aid  in  the  work.  They  agreed,  on  condition  that 
Dr.  Morris  would  resign  from  his  church  and  devote  his 
whole  time  to  the  school  as  its  president,  else  resign  from 
the  presidency  of  the  school  and  allow  someone  to  be  elected 
president  who  could  devote  his  entire  time  to  building  up 
the  institution.  At  the  following  State  convention  Prof. 
Gregory  Hayes  was  elected  president.  He  was  a  graduate 
of  Oberlin  College,  well  educated,  a  stirring,  magnetic  orator, 
resolute  and  energetic,  a  good  money  getter,  and  a  good 
business  manager.  The  school  grew  rapidly  both  in  stu- 
dents, buildings,  and  other  facilities  under  his  presidency. 
He  was  president  at  the  time  Jared  entered  upon  his  work 
there,  January  1,  1895.  The  president  turned  over  to  Jared 
for  the  remainder  of  that  school  year  his  classes  in  Latin, 
Civil  Government,  Physics  and  Rhetoric,  and  he  took  the 
field  to  raise  funds,  make  friends,  and  to  secure  students 
for  the  school. 

Jared  remained  as  a  teacher  in  this  school  for  four 
years  and  besides  his  regular  work  in  the  school,  assisted 
Dr.  Terrill  one  hour  after  school  each  day  for  about  two 
years  in  training  young  men  for  the  ministry.  During  the 
summer  vacations  he  went  on  the  field  outside  the  State  as 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  29 

financial  agent  for  the  school.  He  spent  considerable  time 
in  the  cities  of  Pittsburgh,  Alleghany,  Harrisburg,  Phila- 
delphia, Pa.,  and  in  Atlantic  City,  and  Jersey  City,  N.  J.,  and 
a  little  time  in  the  city  of  New  York  and  in  other  parts  of 
the  States  named. 

He  succeeded  in  interesting  nearly  all  of  the  Colored 
Baptist  Churches  in  these  cities  in  the  work  of  the  seminary 
and  led  them  to  pledge  and  actually  to  give  financial  support 
to  the  school.  Influenced  by  his  representation  and  pleas 
for  the  school,  the  Pennsylvania  Western  Association 
adopted  the  seminary  as  the  institution  especially  for  which 
it  would  contribute  financial  support  and  to  which  it  would 
send  students.  One  church  alone,  in  Pittsburgh  (Ebenezer, 
Rev.  W.  W.  Brown,  pastor)  at  the  time  pledged,  and  fulfilled 
its  pledge  by  contributing  $400.00  annually  to  the  seminary, 
to  aid  in  supporting  two  students,  and  in  the  payment  of 
teacher's  salaries.  Through  Jared's  representation  it  be- 
came the  custom  of  the  Western  Association  or  a  group  of 
the  leading  churches  to  invite  the  president  of  the  seminary 
to  pay  them  a  visit  every  year,  and  in  this  way  many 
strong  and  lasting  friends  for  the  school  were  made. 

Jared's  stay  and  work  in  the  seminary  for  most  part 
was  quite  pleasant  and  successful.  He  saw  a  number  of 
young  men  and  young  women  graduate  from  the  school 
even  while  he  was  connected  with  it  that  have  made  the'] 
mark  in  the  world. 

Jared  resigned  from  the  seminary  in  the  summer  of 
1898,  and  in  the  spring  and  fall  of  1899  he  taught  as  thp 
nrincipal  of  a  four-room  public  school  in  Hagerstown,  Md. 
In  the  course  of  the  fall  term  of  this  year  he  received  a 
call  from  his  old  friend,  Prof.  G.  E.  Stephens  to  accept  a  po- 
sition in  Morgan  College,  Lynchburg,  Va.,  of  which  Prof. 
Stephens  was  president.  As  he  had  contracted  for  a  year, 
the  education  board  of  the  schools  of  Hagerstown  would 
not  release  him  till  the  first  of  the  year  1900.  Hence  on 
January  1,  1900,  he  began  teaching  in  Morgan  College  or 
Morgan  College  annex  at  Lynchburg.  His  position  here 
was  quite  agreeable  and  his  work  quite  enjoyable.  He  soon 
became  on  easy  terms  with  the  faculty  and  popular  with 


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ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  31 

the  student  body.  However,  his  stay  was  destined  to  be 
short.  About  three  months  before  going  to  Morgan  Jared 
had  had  a  long  personal  talk  with  Rev.  Dr.  H.  M.  Ford, 
chairman  of  a  committee  of  White  Free  Baptists  with  refer- 
ence to  opening  up  a  Bible  School  in  Cairo,  111.  This  school 
was  to  be  for  training  men  for  the  gospel  ministry  and  for 
training  men  and  women  for  Christian  service  and  mission 
work.  The  committee  was  sincere  in  desire  and  purpose,  but 
a  way  of  carrying  the  project  into  effect  had  not  yet  been 
revealed.  Many  were  engaged  in  praver  that  God  would  so 
move  upon  the  hearts  of  his  stewards  as  to  lead  them  to 
finance  the  scheme.  These  prayers  were  answered.  A 
wealthy,  devout  Christian  gentleman.  B.  C.  Jordan  of  Maine, 
who  was  deeply  interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  colored  peo- 
ple, and  in  the  work  of  Elder  J.  S.  Manning,  who  had  spent 
many  years  as  a  missionary  among  the  colored  people  of  the 
Cairo  Mission  came  forward  with  a  nleds;e  of  sufficient 
means  to  pay  the  salary  of  a  man  and  wife  to  open  and  con- 
duct the  school.  Jared,  months  before,  had  been  asked  to 
pray  for  the  work  and  to  expect  a  call.  So  in  two  weeks  after 
Jared  had  entered  upon  his  work  in  Morgan  College  he  re- 
ceived a  communication  from  Dr.  Ford,  saying  that  their 
prayers  had  been  answered  in  the  provision  of  means  for 
opening  a  Bible  School  in  the  Cairo  Misison.  and  that  of 
three  white  men  and  himself  proposed  for  the  work  the 
mantle  had  fallen  on  him  (Jared) .  Hence  he  was  requested 
without  fail  to  be  in  Cairo,  111.,  to  take  prominent  nart  in  a 
minister's  institute  to  be  held  in  the  first  week  of  the  fol- 
lowing April,  and  to  ODen  the  Bible  School  on  Mondav  of 
the  following  week.  Jared  broke  the  news  to  President 
Stephens  and  his  good  wife,  and  both  they  and  Jared  had 
some  regrets  that  they  were  destined  to  part  company  so 
soon.  But  as  Jared  was  ordained  to  the  Gospel  ministry 
and  had  full  fledged  theological  training,  the  call  to 
the  Cairo  Mission  seemed  more  directly  a  call  from  God ; 
hence  his  duty  was  plain.  So  in  answer  to  the  call  he  re- 
signed and  on  the  29th  of  March,  after  a  most  encouraging 
and  soul  touching  good-bye  and  farewell  by  the  faculty  and 


32  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

student  body,  Jared  was  taken  to  the  station  by  President 
Stephens  and  he  took  the  train  for  Cairo,  where  he  arrived 
the  next  day  about  9  o'clock  P.  M.,  and  found  the  home 
provided  for  his  residence  during  the  institute. 


CH APTE  R    V 

LIFE,  TEACHING  AND  GENERAL  WORK  IN  THE 
CAIRO  MISSION  FIELD 

Jared's  first  work  in  the  Cairo  Mission  was  in  connection 
with  the  ministers'  institute  under  the  direction  of  Dr. 
Ford.  The  institute  opened  Sunday,  April  1,  and  continued 
till  Saturday,  April  7.  Two  other  white  brethren  were 
present  and  assisted  Dr.  Ford.  Jared  was  on  the  program 
for  three  specific  addresses  which  he  delivered,  and  assisted 
in  general  with  the  rest  of  the  program.  Rev.  Dr.  Ford 
in  this  institute  gave  several  lectures,  rich  in  timely  in- 
struction. His  coming  to  the  Cairo  Mission  was  always 
looked  forward  to  with  very  much  interest. 

On  Monday,  April  9,  1900,  with  an  enrollment  of  nine 
licensed  and  ordained  ministers  the  Cairo  Bible  School 
proper,  under  the  official  name,  The  J.  S.  Manning  Bible 
School,  opened  in  the  lecture  room  of  the  15th  Street  Free 
Baptist  Church.,  Rev.  N.  Ricks,  pastor.  Here  the  school 
was  conducted  until  the  middle  of  June,  when  it  was  closed 
for  the  summer.  Jared  went  on  the  field  for  a  few  weeks, 
visiting  churches  and  associations  in  the  interest  of  the 
school.  In  July  he  returned  to  West  Virginia  and  spent  a 
few  weeks  with  his  family  at  Rippon,  and  again  returned  to 
Illinois  and  did  field  work  for  the  school  till  the  beginning 
of  the  fall  term,  October  1,  1900. 

Early  in  the  summer  of  this  year  Dr.  Ford,  as  agent  for 
the  Home  Mission  Society,  succeeded  in  purchasing  a 
staunch,  two-story  brick  structure  of  eight  rooms  as  the 
permanent  home  of  the  school.  The  new  home  of  the 
school  stood  on  the  corner  of  21st  and  Walnut  Streets  and 
had  an  inviting,  commodious  yard  all  around  it.  It  was  in 
a  popular  part  of  the  city  and  was  in  every  way  suitable  for 
the  exalted  work. 

Here  the  school  in  its  new  home  on  the  above  date, 
opened  with  an  enrollment  of  eleven  ordained  ministers  and 
licentiates  and  five  ladies  in  training  for  Sunday  School 
and  mission  work.    The  student  body  seemed  all  to  appreci- 


34 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 


ate  much  their  new  home  and  the  special  opportunities  and 
privileges  that  God,  through  His  faithful  servants  of  the 
North  and  their  friends,  had  provided  and  opened  up  to 
them.  Jared,  too,  was  much  pleased  and  encouraged  by  the 
manifest  interest  and  hearty,  tangible  response  to  the  en- 
deavors made  for  their  intellectual,  moral  and  religious  bet- 
terment and  that  of  the  Cairo  Mission  through  them.  The 
outlook  for  the  school  at  this  early  stage  was  certainly  quite 
promising  and  bright. 


REV.  JARED  M.  ARTER  AND  MRS.  EMILY  CARTER 
ARTER  (MARRIED  JUNE  3.  1890),  CHARLES  OLIVER, 
ROSE  ELIZABETH  AND  JARED  MAURICE  ARTER,  JR. 

Thus  the  work  in  the  beginning  of  the  second  term  of 
the  school,  moved  on  very  delightfully.  It  is  readily  seen 
that  the  work,  this  early,  had  developed  beyond  the  capacity 
of  one  teacher  to  meet  all  the  demands.  The  prudential 
committee  and  friends  of  the  school  foresaw  this  and  in 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  35 

their  original  plans  provided  that  a  man  and  his  wife  should 
be  employed  in  the  school  from  its  beginning.  In  line  with 
this  the  five  rooms  on  the  second  story  were  neatly  fitted  up 
and  furnished  and  about  the  middle  of  November  Jared  sent 
for  his  family,  a  wife  and  three  children,  and  located  them 
in  their  new  home.  Mrs.  Arter  at  once  took  up  the  work 
as  assistant  in  the  school.  Jared  remained  at  the  head  of 
this  school  as  principal  eight  years.  Eight  months  of  each 
year  were  spent  in  teaching  and  training  men  for  the  Gospel 
ministry  and  men  and  women  for  Sunday  School  and  mission 
work,  and  two  months  each  year  were  spent  on  the  field  in 
visiting  and  working  in  associations  and  conventions  and 
yearly  meetings  and  General  Conferences  for  the  general 
interest  of  the  school  and  Cairo  Mission. 

The  eight  years  spent  in  conducting  the  work  of  the 
J.  S.  Manning  Bible  School  of  the  Cairo  Mission  are  regarded 
by  Jared  in  some  respects  as  the  most  exalted,  practical 
and  hlessed  work  of  his  life.  Men  and  women  of  Free  Bap- 
tist, Misisonary  Baptist,  and  Methodist  persuasion  attended 
the  school  and  got  the  benefit  of  the  training  in  the  English 
branches  taught,  and  in  theology  or  the  plain  teachings  of 
the  Bible.  They  got  clearer  views  of  the  great  essentials, 
and  a  candid  and  faithful  setting  forth  of  the  points  of  dif- 
ference in  belief.  Of  course,  the  school  emphasized  the  be- 
liefs and  doctrines  of  the  Free  and  Missionary  Baptist  de- 
nominations as  those,  in  the  judgment  of  the  school  that 
rested  clearly  and  firmly  on  the  teaching  and  authority  of 
the  Bible  or  Holy  Scriptures. 

But.  there  was  no  friction,  all  moved  smoothly  and 
blessedly  on  and  the  school  graduated  a  number  of  classes 
in  the  course  of  Jared's  administration,  of  which  a  number 
of  the  younger  ministers  have  made  marked  success  in 
their  work  as  preachers,  evangelists  and  pastors.  Some  of 
those  as  young  men  meriting  special  mention  are  Revs. 
Donaldson,  Hodge,  Dixon,  Henderson,  Green,  Britt,  Herron, 
Hancock  and  Bullock.  There  are  others  scarcely  less  de- 
serving of  mention. 

The  one  serious  draw-back  that  Jared  experienced  in 
his  career  there  was  the  early  breaking  down  of  the  health 


36  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

of  his  wife.  When  she  first  went  to  Cairo  her  third  child, 
Jared  Maurice  Arter,  Jr.,  was  only  six  weeks  old.  Some- 
time in  February  of  the  next  year  Jared,  Jr.,  having  fallen 
asleep  in  a  draught,  caught  a  heavy  cold  which  fell  on  his 
bowels  and  placed  him  under  the  care  of  a  doctor  and  care- 
ful nursing  for  nearly  four  months.  Mrs.  Arter  herself 
was  not  very  well  and  this  extra  care,  though  she  had  assist- 
ance all  the  while,  was  quite  a  strain  upon  her  system. 
With  the  close  of  school  in  June,  she  returned  to  her  moth- 
er's home,  Rippon,  W.  Va.,  where  she  remained  till  the  mid- 
dle of  November  of  the  following  fall,  at  which  time  she  re- 
turned to  Cairo  with  her  health  considerably  improved.  For 
a  few  months  after  her  return  she  assisted  in  the  work  of 
the  school.  But  before  the  close  of  the  school  year,  in  the 
spring  of  1902,  her  condition  of  health  became  serious  again 
and  she  gave  up  teaching.  With  the  close  of  school  in  June 
she  again  returned  to  the  home  of  her  parents  in  W.  Va. 
The  following  November  she  came  again  to  Cairo  and  re- 
mained about  four  months.  Finding  the  climate  of  Cairo 
so  decidedly  against  her  health,  in  the  latter  part  of  March 
she  left  Cairo  to  return  no  more. 

When  it  became  evident  her  health  would  not  permit 
her  to  teach,  Jared  secured  the  services  of  Prof.  J.  T.  Lott, 
who  proved  to  be  an  excellent  teacher  and  remained  as  as- 
sistant in  the  school  during  the  remainder  of  Jared's  admin- 
istration. The  year  1907  proved  a  sad  year  in  Jared's  life. 
Early  in  January  he  received  the  sad  news  of  the  death  of 
his  brother  William,  who  had  died  with  pneumonia.  Jared 
left  at  once  for  Harper's  Ferry  to  attend  the  funeral  and 
burial  services.  William  Arter  was  Jared's  senior  by  a 
year  and  six  months,  and  was  therefore  the  oldest  child  of 
the1  family  except  one,  Mary  Elizabeth  Arter,  who  was  a 
year  and  four  months  older  than  William. 

William  Arter  was  quite  a  remarkable  man  in  many  par- 
ticulars. In  education  he  never  went  beyond  the  normal 
course  in  Storer.  As  an  industrial  worker  he  was  of  the 
highest  type,  as  a  business  man  he  was  most  prompt  and  re- 
liable. As  a  teacher  he  was  remarkably  successful.  He 
taught  the  Myers  Town  School  in  Coble  Town  District,  Jeffer- 


ECHOES  EROM  A   PIONEER  LIFE  37 

son  Co.,  W.  Va.,  for  more  than  32  years,  and  was  never  once 
late  to  school  in  all  those  years. 

He  made  a  practice  to  be  at  his  school  most  always  from 
an  hour  to  an  hour  and  a  half  before  time  of  opening  for 
the  day.  After  the  first  four  or  five  years  he  seldom,  if 
ever,  failed  to  have  one  or  more  pupils  to  finish  the  grade 
that  permitted  them  to  enter  Storer.  As  a  husband  and 
father  he  was  a  splendid  provider,  a  fine  disciplinarian  and 
greatly  devoted  to  his  family.  As  a  citizen  he  was  loyal  to 
his  country  and  highly  respected  by  almost  everybody  who 
knew  him. 

In  speaking  of  his  life  at  the  time  of  his  funeral,  Dr. 
N.  C.  Brackett  said,  "If  we  had  two  or  three  William  Arters 
in  every  community  of  this  country  the  race  problem  would 
be  settled."  The  maiden  name  of  his  wife  was  Rosie  Scott 
of  Charles  Town,  W.  Va.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  when  first 
married  she  was  modest,  gentle  and  a  most  beautiful 
mulatto  young  woman.  They  became  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren, four  girls  and  two  boys:  Estella,  Rossa,  Aurabella, 
Juanita,  Charles  Sumner,  and  Jared.  The  first  two  died 
when  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  now  sleep  in  the  ceme- 
tery in  Bolivar,  W.  Va.,  with  the  remains  of  their  mother 
and  father,  in  Whose  memory  there  has  just  been  erected 
(Aug.,  1921)  at  the  head  of  their  graves,  by  the  living  chil- 
dren, a  beautiful  granite  monument  costing  $220.00.  The 
remaining  four  children  are  Charles  S.,  Aurabella,  Jared 
and  Juanita  Arter.  Chas.  Sumner  and  Juanita  are  both 
teachers  in  the  public  schools  of  W.  Va,,  and  Aurabella  and 
Jared  are  employees  of  the  Federal  Government  in  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  and  Pittsburgh,  Pa.  Jared  is  married  and  has 
one  child.  They  are  all  upright,  forward  looking  young 
people  of  whom  any  father  or  mother  might  be  proud.  After 
the  burial  of  his  brother,  and  spending  a  few  days  with  his 
family  at  Rippon,  Jared  returned  to  'Cairo  and  pressed  on 
with  his  work.  Late  in  March,  about  two  months  after 
the  death  of  his  brother  William,  Jared  reeedved  a  telegram 
telling  him  that  his  wife  was  nearing  death  and  summoning 
him  to  come  at  once.  Again  he  entered  upon  a  sad  journey 
to  Jefferson  County,  W.  Va.     He  reached  Rippon  about  9 


38  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  EIFE 

A.  M.  the  next  day,  after  leaving  Cairo,  and  found  his  wife 
had  pased  away  early  on  the  night  before.  After  fitting 
funeral  and  burial  services  and  spending  a  few  days  with 
his  children  and  the  family  circle,  Jared  again  with  a  sad 
but  trustful  heart,  returned  to  Cairo  and  took  up  his  work. 
The  remaining  two  months  of  this  year's  school  were  spent 
with  much  solemn  reflection  and  deep  meditation  on  the 
mysteries  of  life  and  how  to  make  it  of  greatest  worth. 
As  Jared's  interest  in  heaven  was  constantly  on  the  increase, 
and  his  work  was  that  of  Bible  study  and  training  men  for 
the  Gospel  ministry  and  men  and  women  for  Sunday  School 
and  misison  work,  he  determined  if  possible  to  reach  a 
higher  plane  of  life  and  service,  and  he  has  reasons  to  be- 
lieve that  his  efforts  to  live  nearer  the  cross  have  been 
marked  by  success. 

With  the  close  of  this  school  year,  after  spending  about 
two  weeks  on  the  field  for  the  school  and  mission,  Jared 
returned  about  the  middle  of  June  to  West  Virginia  to  spend 
some  time  with  his  children  and  his  wife's  people,  to  give 
and  receive  comfort  and  to  plan  for  their  future.  He  had 
at  this  time  three  living  children,  Charles  Oliver  Arter,  the 
oldest,  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  Rose  Elizabeth  Arter, 
about  twelve,  and  Jared  Maurice  Arter,  Jr.,  nearly  seven. 
While  Charles  and  Rose  were  both  very  dear  children  of 
much  promise,  Jared,  Jr.,  had  a  number  of  qualities  that 
made  him  a  marked  child  of  unusual  promise.  But  sad  even 
to  mention,  he  was  afflicted  with  hernia  or  rupture  from 
boyhood.  His  mother  and  father  had  employed  the  treat- 
ments of  specialists  for  years,  with  promise  of  sure  cure, 
but  all  in  vain. 

After  the  death  of  his  mother  the  condition  of  the  baby 
boy,  Jared,  weighed  heavily  upon  the  mind  of  his  father. 

The  boy  Jared's  Aunt  Lizzie  Carter  had  been  a  trained 
nurse  at  Freedmen's,  D.  C,  and  was  a  graduate  of  that  in- 
stitution. At  this  time  she  was  a  trained  nurse  in  a  private 
hospital  at  Berryville,  Va.,  under  the  expert  control  and 
management  of  Dr.  Parker,  who  had  had  more  than  twenty 
years  of  practice  and  experience  in  the  hospitals  of  New 
York  City.     Baby  Jared's  Aunt  Lizzie  Carter  gave  most 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  39 

interesting  accounts  of  quite  a  number  of  children  who 
were  placed  in  Freedmen's  and  treated  for  hernia  while  she 
was  there,  and  she  told  how  every  one  of  them  was  easily 
and  safely  cured.  Dr.  Parker  also,  when  approached  on  the 
subject,  said  he  had  had  many  children  suffering  from  her- 
nia put  in  his  hands  for  treatment  in  course  of  his 
twenty  years  practice  in  the  hospitals  of  the  city  of  New 
York,  and  that  he  never  had  but  one  to  come  back  on  his 
hands,  and  that  was  the  first  one  that  he  treated.  In  view 
of  the  apparent  safety  and  certain  cure  gathered  from  these 
statements  Jared  the  father  of  the  boy,  felt  it  to  be  his 
bounded  duty  to  have  his  boy  treated  and  cured  in  his 
childhood  days.  His  first  mind  was  to  send  him  to  Freed- 
men's. But  as  his  Aunt  Lizzie  was  a  nurse  in  Dr.  Parker's 
Hospital,  and  as  Dr.  Parker  gave  such  convincing  argument 
that  if  trusted  with  the  case  he  would  return  him  safely 
and  soundly  healed,  the  child  was  placed  in  Dr.  Parker's  hos- 
pital for  treatment  with  all  fear  of  malpractice  'or  failure 
removed.  Indeed,  so  completely  was  all  fear  of  any  ill  out- 
come of  the  case  removed  from  the  father's  mind  that  after 
the  child  had  been  in  the  hospital  under  treatment  for  three 
days  and  all  seemed  going  well,  the  father  took  a  trip  to 
Jamestown  and  spent  two  days  in  attendance  upon  the 
Jamestown  Tri-Centenary.  On  Jared's  return  and  visit  to 
the  hospital  he  found  his  baby  boy  getting  on  seemingly  as 
well  as  could  be  expected,  but  a  little  fretful  and  wanting  to 
go  home  with  his  father.  His  father  said  nice  things  to 
him,  telling  him  lie  must  remain  under  the  doctor's  special 
care  just  a  few  days  more,  that  if  he  would  be  good  and 
cheerful  and  remain  a  few  days  longer  the  doctor  and  his 
aunt  Lizzie  were  saying  he  could  go  home  a  new,  well  boy 
and  that  his  father  was  going  to  get  him  a  new  suit  of 
clothes,  a  new  wagon,  new  ball  and  lots  of  other  nice  things. 
With  this  counsel  and  these  promises  the  baby  boy,  Jared, 
was  quieted  and  went  off  to  sleep.  While  his  beloved  boy 
was  thus  resting,  his  father  returned  home.  On  the  second 
day  following  this  about  9  A.  M.,  a  telephone  message  was 
received  summoning  the  father  and  grandmother  to  come 
at  once,  that  little  Jared  was  dying.     His  grandmother,  Mrs. 


40  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

Amanda  Carter,  and  his  father,  hitched  up  a  horse  to  the 
buggy  and  drove  rapidly  to  Berryville,  a  distance  of  seven 
miles  and  found  little  Jared  in  a  dying  condition  from 
tetanus  or  lock-jaw,  resulting  from  blood  poisoning.  He 
knew  his  grandmother  and  his  father  and  threw  his  arms 
around  their  necks,  and  a  little  later  there  came  over  his 
face  a  beautifully  sweet  smile,  as  he  passed  out  of  this  life, 
and  as  we  believe  met  his  dear,  sweet  mother  in  the  blessed 
land  of  Paradise.  This  blow  to  Jared's  heart,  already  deeply 
afflicted  and  sore  from  the  loss,  so  recently,  of  a  favorite 
brother  and  a  dear,  sweet,  loving  wife,  will  never  fully  heal 
in  this  life.  Jared  remained  several  weeks  longer  with  his 
remaining  two  children,  Charles  Oliver  and  Rose  Elizabeth 
and  with  his  wife's  people  in  their  home  at  Rippon,  and  then 
took  his  journey  again  for  another  year's  work  in  the  Cairo 
Mission  field.  He  spent  six  weeks  on  the  field,  visiting 
associations,  conventions,  churches  and  yearly  meetings  in 
quest  of  students  and  to  deepen  the  interest  in  the  work. 

On  October  1,  1907,  he  opened  the  school  for  another 
year's  work.  The  attendance  this  year  was  creditably  in- 
creased above  other  years.  Professor  Lott,  who  had  been 
Jared's  assistant  for  the  last  three  years,  was  of  signal  help 
in  the  work.  The  school  progressed  through  the  year  in 
good  form  and  closed  the  last  week  in  May,  with  the  gradua- 
tion of  four  young  men  as  ministers  of  the  gospel.  After 
spending  about  four  weeks  visiting  churches,  Forward 
Movement  Clubs,  Sunday  Schools,  and  other  religious  bodies 
in  the  interest  of  the  school  and  mission,  Jared,  in  company 
with  Rev.  S.  R.  Bulloch,  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  Charleston,  W.  Va.,  took  a  trip  to  Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y., 
where  they  spent  several  days. 

While  thus  associated  Rev.  S.  R.  Bullock,  who  was  at 
one  time  a  student  of  the  J.  S.  Manning  Bible  School,  and  at 
this  time  besides  being  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  Charleston,  was  a  trustee  of  the  West  Virginia  Industrial 
School  Seminary  and  College,  mentioned  to  Jared  the  fact 
that  the  above  named  school  at  Hill  Top,  Fayette  County, 
W.  Va.,  was  without  a  president  and  sought  to  ascertain  if  a 
call  came  to  Jared  whether  he  would  accept  or  not. 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  41 

Jared  regarded  the  matter  as  a  little  pleasant  pastime 
and  so  spent  no  serious  thought  about  it.  In  the  latter  part 
iting  associations  ana  young  people's  meetings  preparatory 
of  August  he  again  returned  to  Cairo  Mission  and  began  vis- 
to  opening  the  Bible  School  for  another  year's  work. 

While  engaged  in  this  phase  of  his  work  in  the  Cairo 
Mission  he  received  an  official  call  from  the  trustees  of  the 
West  Virginia  Industrial  School  Seminary  and  College,  ask- 
ing him  to  accept  the  presidency  of  that  institution.  This 
led  to  quite  an  extended  correspondence.  All  questions 
having  been  satisfactorily  answered,  Jared  agreed  to  accept. 
Hence  he  offered  his  resignation  to  the  trustees  of  the  J.  S. 
Manning  Bible  School  to  take  effiect  in  thirty  days.  Rev. 
Dr.  Ford,  secretary  of  the  educational  work  of  the  Free 
Baptists,  called  a  special  convention  of  the  leading  ministers 
and  laymen  of  the  Cairo  Mission  to  convene  in  the  Morning 
Star  Free  Baptist  Church,  Cairo,  to  take  under  consideration 
the  resignation  of  Jared  and  the  future  well-being  of  the 
J.  S.  Manning  Bible  School  and  the  Cairo  Mission.  The 
convention  met  at  the  appointed  place  at  9  A.  M.  and  ad- 
journed at  3 :30  P.  M. 

The  subjects  discussed  were:  1.  Resolved,  That  the 
Manning  Bible  School  is  a  necessity  and  must  be  maintained. 

2.  That  we  will  not  accept  the  resignation  of  Rev.  Jared 
M.  Arter.  These  resolutions  were  both  unanimously  af- 
firmed with  the  exception  of  one  vote  in  the  negative  of  the 
second. 

Concerning  the  second  resolution  as  a  means  of  induc- 
ing Jared  to  reconsider  his  action  and  to  remain  at  the  head 
of  the  J.  S.  Manning  Bible  School,  and  in  the  Cairo  Mission 
work,  it  was  agreed  if  >he  would  stay  to  add  $200.00  a  year 
to  his  salary,  to  give  his  wife  employment  in  the  school  if 
he  married  again,  to  add  $500.00  more  yearly  to  the  run- 
ning expenses  of  the  school.  Besides  this  Dr.  Ford  was  so 
confident  that  there  was  no  school  at  Hill  Top,  Fayette 
County,  W.  Va.,  worthy  of  the  name  that  they  became  will- 
ing as  a  last  effort  to  grant  Jared  a  leave  of  absence  for 
one  month  to  go  and  see  for  himself,  feeling  perfectly  cer- 
tain he  would  be  led  to  remain  at  the  head  of  the  J.  S. 


42  ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER  LIFE 

Manning  Bible  School.  Jared  accepted  the  leave  of  absence 
and  leaving  the  Bible  School  in  charge  of  Prof.  J.  T.  Lott, 
he  left  the  last  of  September  for  Hill  Top,  and  opened  the 
fall  term  of  the  Seminary  there,  September  28,  1908,  with 
three  assistant  teachers.  A  district  school  and  one  year 
high-school  were  affiliated  with  the  seminary. 

Jared,  as  principal  of  the  graded  and  high  school  and 
president  of  the  Seminary,  conducted  the  work  for  a  month, 
was  fairly  well  pleased  with  it,  and  accepted  it  in  good  faith. 
He  returned  to  Cairo,  had  Prof.  J.  T.  Lott  installed  as  prin- 
cipal of  the  J.  ,S.  Manning  Bible  School,  disposed  of  his 
household  goods  to  the  trustees  of  the  Bible  School,  packed 
up  his  books,  pictures,  book-racks  and  shelves,  shipped 
them  to  Hill  Top,  and  returned  promptly  to  his  work  there. 


CHAPTER    VI 

JARED'S  INSTALLATION  AND  WORK  AT  HILL  TOP 

About  the  middle  of  November  an  extra  sesison  of  the 
West  Virginia  Baptist  State  Convention  met  in  the  Semi- 
nary chapel  at  Hill  Top  and  formally  inaugurated  Jared  as 
President  of  the  Seminary.  Rev.  Dr.  I.  V.  Bryant,  president 
of  the  State  convention,  in  his  formal  address,  and  others 
as  well,  promised  hearty  co-operation  and  expressed  high 
hopes  for  the  future  of  the  Seminary. 

Jared,  in  his  address,  after  expressing  appreciation  for 
the  honor  conferred,  the  confidence  imposed,  and  desire  and 
hope  of  fullest  co-operation,  called  attention  to  what  seemed 
to  have  been  the  policy  of  the  previous  administration,  that 
of  allowing  things  to  run  to  the  bad  too  long  before  institut- 
ing repairs.  He  pointed  out  a  number  of  examples  and  had 
it  on  his  tongue  to  speak  of  the  bad  condition  of  the  roof 
of  the  main  building,  but  thought  it  not  expedient  to  paint 
too  dark  a  picture  in  his  first  public  utterance.  The  con- 
vention made  a  good  impression,  and  adjourned  leaving 
on  the  whole  a  bright  outlook  for  the  school. 

The  teachers  had  all  been  freshly  inspired  and  imbued 
with  a  deeper  sense  of  duty  and  strengthened  purpose  to 
co-operate  heartily  in  worthy  endeavor  for  best  results  in 
their  high  calling;  and  the  student  body  were  stirred  to 
greater  pride  and  interest  in  their  choice  of  school  and 
in  their  preparation  for  life's  work  and  responsibilities. 
All  were  bent  on  making  the  year's  work  a  prime  success. 
But  how  soon  the  clear  sky  can  become  covered  with  clouds ! 
How  soon  our  hopes  can  be  dashed  somewhat  and  our  joy 
turned  into  mourning  for  a  time  at  least! 

Just  about  two  weeks  after  the  close  of  the  convention, 
on  December  2,  1908,  at  10:25  A.  M.,  while  the  class  rooms 
were  all  filled  with  students  and  teachers  hard  at  work,  an 
alarm  of  fire  was  given.  Jared,  who  had  a  class  in  Algebra 
in  the  room  next  the  printing  office,  looked  along  the  stove- 
pipe and  seeing  no  sign  of  fire  hastened  to  the  outside  and 
looked  up  at  the  chimney,  the  only  one  to  the  building, 


44  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

and  there  he  discovered  flames  extending  back  from  the 
chimney  along  the  comb  of  the  roof  about  one  and  a  half 
yards  long  and  flaring  upward  about  two  feet.  By  this  time 
the  yard  was  full  of  students  and  teachers.  Mr.  Malone, 
the  printer,  and  one  of  the  teachers  suggested  that  we  fight 
the  fire.  But  Jared  said  there  is  no  use,  we  have  no  show. 
Get  the  things  out  of  your  rooms  and  the  furniture  out  of 
the  building  with  all  possible  speed!  There  had  been  no 
rain  for  weeks,  everything  was  as  dry  as  tinder.  There 
was  but  one  well  on  the  premises,  and  that  159  feet  deep 
and  the  water  was  drawn  by  a  windlass.  We  had  no  means 
of  reaching  the  roof  speedily,  hence  there  was  nothing  to  do 
but  to  rush  things  out  of  the  building  with  all  possible  speed ! 
This  was  done  with  a  will.  And  in  the  briefest  time,  neig^ 
bors  from  all  around  were  there  and  worked  like  heroes  to 
help  save  the  stuff:  furniture,  books,  trunks,  pictures,  beds, 
bedding,  clothing,  and  the  old  dining  room,  kitchen  and  laun- 
dry, which  stood  apart  from  the  main  building.  In  the 
incredible  time  of  forty-five  minutes  the  main  building  was 
in  complete  ruins.  The  old  dining  room,  kitchen,  laundry, 
stable  and  hen-house,  were  saved.  Jared  by  far  suffered 
the  largest  personal  loss  by  the  fire.  His  books,  book-cases, 
pictures  and  other  belongings,  shipped  from  Cairo,  fully  a 
month  before,  had  just  arrived  in  time  to  be  onened  and  most 
of  them  carefully  arranged  in  two  rooms  on  the  second  floor, 
to  be  occupied  by  him  as  bed-room  and  study.  Two  large 
boxes  of  books  were  yet  in  the  printing  office  unopened.  All 
of  these  and  many  of  those  in  the  two  rooms  above  were 
completely  destroyed.  This  was  a  total  loss,  as  the  $800.00 
policy  protecting  them  in  the  residence  at  Cairo  was  void 
the  moment  they  were  removed.  The  loss  of  the  school 
building  and  other  school  property  was  estimated  at  $12,000. 
Insurance  on  the  property  was  $5,000.00  but  there  was  a 
debt  of  $2,400.00  on  the  building,  and  an  outstanding  debt 
of  $1,600.00.  Many  tears  were  shed  by  some  of  the  student 
body  and  at  least  one  of  the  teachers  as  they  struggled  to 
save  what  they  could  of  the  propertv  and  saw  the  flames  so 
rapidly  reducing  to  ruins  what  had  so  recently  been  their 
quiet  and  much  loved  school  home.     Some  tearfully  inquired 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 


45 


"What  shall  we  do  now?"    Jared  answered,  "Let  us  rise  and 
build  better."     The  trustees  were'  notified  at  once  of  the 


OLD  DINING  ROOM  OF  WEST  VIRGINIA  INDUSTRIAL  SCHOOL, 
SEMINARY  AND  COLLEGE  AT  HILL  TOP.  ONLY  BUILDING  SAVED 
FROM  FIRE. 

calamity.  The  next  day  a  majority  of  them  arrived  on  the 
ground,  knelt  around  the  ruins  and  prayed  fervently  to 
Almighty  God  for  courage  and  spiritual  guidance.  They 
then  arose,  discussed  the  situation  for  a  time,  expressed 
serious  regrets  that  such  a  sore  calamity  had  befallen  the 
enterprise,  but  declared  there  must  be  no  steps  backward, 
so  they  resolved  in  the  fear  of  God  and  in  the  name  and  in- 
terest of  progress  to  rise  and  rebuild. 

A  committee  on  ways  and  means,  with  Jared  at  its  head, 
was  appointed.  A  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Hill  Top  and 
Red  Star  was  called  and  they  agreed  to  be  responsible  for 


46  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

raising  $3,000.00  for  rebuilding.  The  Baptist  Church  or- 
ganization of  Hill  Top  granted  for  the  remainder  of  that 
year,  the  use  of  their  church  for  conducting  the  school. 
In  less  than  two  weeks  after  the  fire  the  first  step  toward 
rebuilding  was  made  by  a  digging  bee.  This  was  not  as 
well  attended  as  we  had  hoped.  But  a  few  weeks  later,  Mr. 
Stanley  McNorton,  a  thrifty  business  man  of  Glen  Jean  came 
with  his  teams  and  a  force  of  men,  who,  with  a  number  of 
men  from,  Hill  Top  and  Red  Star,  began  the  work  with  a 
will.  Meanwhile  Jared,  as  opportunity  offered,  set  out  to 
canvass  the  business  white  men  who  had  made  it  possible 
for  Dr.  Perkins  to  secure  a  site  and  erect  the  main  building 
that  was  burned  and  those  saved  from  the  flames.  He  called 
first  of  all  on  Mr.  Samuel  Dixon  of  McDonald,  who  was  the 
president  of  extensive  coal  works  at  that  place.  Upon  en- 
tering Mr.  Dixon's  office  be  was  cordially  received  and  asked, 
"What  is  your  mission?"  Upon  learning  that  the  trustees 
were  fully  resolved  to  rebuild,  and  were  already  bard  at 
work  on  a  larger  and  firmer  foundation  on  the  old  site,  he 
said,  "I  would  never  rebuild  there !  That  low  site  was  never 
a  fit  place  for  a  school !  Besides  you  have  not  sufficient 
ground  there.  You  need  land  enough  as  your  school  grows 
to  erect  new  buildings  and  to  build  homes  for  your  faculty 
and  workers."  Upon  this  he  offered  a  grant  to  the  trustees 
for  educational  and  religious  purposes  of  twenty  acres  any 
where  along  the  White  Oak  Branch  of  the  company's  rail- 
way leading  from  Glen  Jean  to  Oak  Hill. 

Jared  thanked  him  for  the  offer,  but  called  his  attention 
to  the  strong  attachment  of  the  people  to  Hill  Top,  that 
there  they  owned  their  homes,  and  that  it  would  be  no 
easy  matter  to  get  them  to  consent  to  rebuild  the  school 
(elsewhere.  Mr.  Dixon  then  said,  write  and  tell  your  trus- 
tees that  Samuel  Dixon  says  they  may  go  anywhere  along 
the  White  Oak  Branch  of  the  company's  road  and  select  a 
site  and  if  we  do  not  own  it  we  will  secure  it  for  them  and 
will  give  them  fifty  acres  for  educational  and  religious 
purposes  and  in  addition  we  will  grant  them  the  privilege 
of  buying  as  much  more  connected  therewith  as  they  may 
wish.     Jared  thanked  him  kindly  and  said  he  would  write 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  47 

the  trustees  at  once  and  urge  them  to  take  the  first  trains 
to  Hill  Top  to  explore  for  a  site.  Jared  then  said  to  Mr. 
Dixon,  the  trustees  will  need  some  backing  to  secure  the 
money  to  push  the  work  of  rebuilding.  In  answer  Mr.  Dixon 
said  his  company  would  make  it  possible  for  the  trustees  to 
secure  in  cash  as  much  as  $8,000.00. 

Jared,  before  writing  the  trustees,  called  upon  Mr. 
George  Jones  of  the  Jones  Bros.,  extensive  coal  operators  at 
Red  Star,  and  who  had  granted  to  Dr.  Perkins  for  educa- 
tional and  religious  use  the  four  acres  which  formed  the 
site  of  the  school  "property  so  recently  reduced  to  ruins  by 
fire.  He  told  Mr.  Jones  of  Mr.  Dixon's  offer  and  asked  him 
if  he  had  any  counter  offer  to  make.  Mr.  Jones  said  he  had 
not  and  gave  reasons.  Jared  then  asked  him  what  he 
thought  of  Mr.  Dixon's  proposition,  and  what  advice  he 
would  give  with  regard  to  acceptme'  it.  Mr.  Jones  said  he 
thought  the  offer  was  a  good  one,  and  advised  us  to  accept  it. 

Jared  then  wrote  all  the  trustees,  telling  them  of  Mr. 
Dixon's  proposition  and  urged  them  to  come  on  a  day 
named  to  consider  Mr.  Dixon's  offer.  They  came  in  full 
force  on  the  day  specified,  and  led  by  a  guide  of  Mr.  Dixon's 
selection,  they  made  a  careful  canvass  of  all  the  land  along 
the  White  Oak  branch  of  the1  McDonald  Coal  Company's 
road  as  far  as  Oak  Hill  and  finally  selected  the  site  known 
as  the  "Falkner  Farm."  Here  they  had  prayers  and  then 
returned  to  the  church  at  Hill  Top,  where  they  formally 
accepted  the  offer,  passed  resolutions  of  thanks  to  the  com- 
nanv  and  appointed  Jared  as  a  committee  of  one  to  see  the 
land  properly  surveyed  and  that  an  outline  map  was  made 
of  the  same.  In  a  few  days  this  was  done  and  speedy  prep- 
arations w-re  being  made  to  build  a  cement-house  and  to  be- 
gin excavations  for  building  the  main  school  structure. 

But  just  in  this  m"ck  of  time  Mr.  Charles  Jones,  the 
older  of  the  Jones  brothers,  having  returned  home  from  a 
trip  South  in  search  of  health,  called  up  Jared  on  the  tele>- 
nhone  and  requested  him  to  call  at  his  residence  in  Oak  Hill 
the  next  day,  saying  he  wanted  to  talk  school  matters  with 
him. 

Jared  called  promptly  the  next  day  and  found  Mr.  Jones 


48  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

alone  in  his  sitting  room.  He  gave  Jared  a  cordial  invita- 
tion to  come  in  and  be  seated.  After  exchanging  a  few 
words  about  the  weather,  he  said:  "I  have  invited  you 
here1  to  talk  school  matters  with  you."  My  brother,  he 
said,  told  me  of  the  proposition  Mr.  Dixon  made  you,  and 
that  you  had  respectfully  come  to  him  at  once  to  learn  if  he 
had  any  proposition  which  he  wished  to  make,  and  that  he 
had  told  you,  no,  he  had  none,  and  that  he  had  even  advised 
you  to  accept  Mr.  Dixon's  offer."  Continuing,  he  said,  "My 
brother  and  I  were  over  to  Fayetteville  yesterday  and  we 
thought  and  talked  the  matter  over,  and  we  have  decided  to 
make  you  a  proposition." 

Then  after  inquiring  more  particularly  about  the  prop- 
osition made  us  by  Mr.  Dixon,  he  said,  "We  know  we  must 
make  you  a  better  proposition."  So  he  said,  "We  have  de- 
cided to  grant  and  deed  outright  to  your  trustees  and  their 
successors  perpetually  fifty  acres  of  ground  at  Hill  Top 
in  connection  with  and  including  the  old  original  site,  to 
grant  also  the  privilege  of  purchasing  other  land  connected 
therewith  if  desired,  and  to  secure  for  the  trustees  a  loan 
of  $5,000.00  to  aid  in  constructing  the  building."  Jared 
was  requested  to  convey  this  proposition  to  his  trustees  and 
to  ask  them  to  consider  it.  This  was  promptly  done,  and  at 
the  earliest  date  convenient,  all  the  trustees  again  met  in 
full  forces  in  the  Baptist  Church  at  Hill  Top. 

The  president,  Rev.  D.  C.  Hunter,  D.  D.;  was  prompt 
in  calling  the  board  to  order  and  after  a  proper  service  of 
Scripture  reading  and  prayer,  the  two  propositions,  carefully 
written  out,  were  taken  up  and  discussed.  That  of  Mr. 
Dixon  had  previously  been  accepted  and  the  land  surveyed. 
This  made  it  important  to  weigh  the  situation  very  care- 
fully. After  mature  thought  viewing  the  two  propositions 
from  every  angle  the  board  unanimously,  for  a  number  of 
reasons,  decided  to  cancel  their  acceptance  of  the  Dixon 
proposition  and  to  accept  the  proposition  of  the  Jones 
Brothers.  Again  Jared  was  appointed  as  a  committee  of 
one  to  have  the  land  grant  of  the  Jones  Brothers  surveyed 
and  to  convey  to  Mr.  Dixon  their  change  of  action.  A  few 
years  later  it  became  as  plain  as  day  that  the  Jones  Broth- 


50  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

ers  proposition  was  very  providential,  for  the  work  and 
burden  of  building  and  running  the  school  became  so  heavy 
that  again  and  again  at  conventions  and  associations,  the 
people,  through  reading  the  deed  and  otherwise,  had  to  be 
assured  that  the  land  was  theirs  and  that  whatever  they 
built  on  it  would  be  theirs  to  use  or  dispose  of  in  whatever 
way  they  might  wish  or  choose.  Had  this  not  been  true  it 
is  very  certain  that  it  would  have  been  more  than  doubly 
hard  to  rally  the  people  around  the  enterprise,  and  there 
would  have  been  great  danger  that  the  dissatisfaction  would 
have  become  so  great  as  to  have  led  them  to  have  abandoned 
the  work  altogether  and  thus  to  have  lost  much  if  not  all 
they  had  put  there. 

But  in  the  Jones  Brothers'  proposition  providence  re- 
moved all  these  drawbacks. 


CHAPTER    VII 

A  MORE  COMPREHENSIVE  VIEW  OF  THE  WORK 

The  school  at  Hill  Top  in  its  beginning  was  a  private 
enterprise,  started  by  Dr.  Perkins,  and  later  was  taken  over 
by  the  Baptists  as  a  denominational  school.  In  the  charter 
secured  by  the  Baptist  trustees  the  school  is  known  as  the 
West  Virginia  Industrial  School,  Theological  Seminary  and 
College.  When  all  the  facts  and  circumstances  pertaining 
to  the  Baptists  of  West  Virginia  and  to  West  Virginia  itself 
that  furnish  rational  ground  of  hope  for  the  success  of  a 
denominational  enterprise  such  as  the  school  above  named, 
are  carefully  weighed,  carefully  considered,  it  will  readily 
be  seen  that  the  undertaking  at  that  time  by  the  Baptist 
denomination  of  West  Virginia  to  build,  support,  develop 
and  conduct  a  good  deserving  school,  required  much  resolu- 
tion and  courage.  The  churches  of  the  State  for  the  most 
part  were  small.  A  very  considerable  portion  of  the 
membership  was  from  other  States,  especially  from  Vir- 
ginia. These,  for  the  most  part,  were  greatly  attached  to 
the  mother  State  and  regarded  it  as  their  real  home.  They 
had  been  reared  there  and  most  of  their  near  kin  and 
intimate  acquaintances  were  still  there.  In  their  minds 
they  were  in  West  Virginia  only  for  a  few  years  to  make 
some  money,  as  good  money  at  that  time  could  be  made 
there,  then  they  would  return  home  and  settle  down.  Be- 
sides, in  many  parts  of  West  Virginia,  especially  in  the  coal 
fields,  it  was  not  possible  to  buy  a  foot  of  ground  for  a 
homestead,  hence  many  who  would  have  tied  themselves  to 
the  land  by  purchasing  homes  could  not,  at  least,  around 
where  they  had  a  source  of  employment. 

Many  of  the  pastors  of  the  West  Virginia  churches  were 
also  from  Virginia  and  other  States  and  had  in  large  part 
become  rather  attached  to  the  denominational  enterprises 
of  their  own  home  States.  The  Baptist  Theological  Semi 
nary  and  College  at  Lynchburg,  Va.,  under  the  presidency 
of  Professor  G.  W.  Hayes,,  at  this  time,  was  looming  large, 
and  was  making  many  strong  friends  outside  the  State.    In- 


52 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 


deed,  the  Flat  Top  Association  of  West  Virginia,  if  not 
others,  had  begun  to  contribute  yearly  and  quite  liberally 
to  the  support  of  that  school.     Many  of  the  strong  ministers 


FINISHED  BUILDING  OF  THE  WEST  VIRGINIA  SEMINARY  AND 
COLLEGE  AND  A  FEW  MEMBERS  OF  THE  W.  V A.  BAPTIST  STATE 
CONVENTION,  AUG.  23,  1918. 

and  influential  leaders  of  the  State  were  not  convinced  that 
the  Baptists  needed  a  school  in  West  Virginia.  The  public 
school  system  in  West  Virginia  for  the  most  part  was  fur- 
nishing good  schools  for  the  colored  children.  Besides  the 
high  and  graded  schools  there  were  the  Institute  below 
Charleston,  the  Bluefield  Seminary  and  Storer  College  at 
Harper's  Ferry.     The  time  had  come,  too,  when  there  was 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  53 

little  use  of  going-  North  to  solicit  funds  for  secondary 
schools  such  as  the  Lynchburg  Seminary  or  the  Baptist 
Seminary  at  Hill  Top.  The  educational  and  home  mission 
work  at  this  time  North  among  the  white  people  was  so 
thoroughly  and  completely  organized  that  all  deserving 
schools  were  listed  or  catalogued.  Those  not  listed  must 
give  full  proof  of  their  merit  by  work  done  before  they 
could  be  enrolled  or  listed  and  secure  financial  aid.  Besides 
the  educational  facilities  of  the  Southern  States  for  Negro 
education  were  better  known  by  those  of  the  North,  having 
charge  of  the  educational  and  misison  work  than  by  almost 
any  of  the  people  having  their  homes  right  down  in  the 
South.  Hence  if  the  West  Virginia  Industrial  School,  Theo- 
logical Seminary  and  College  was  to  be  built,  supported  and 
successfully  run,  it  must  appeal  to  and  depend  almost  wholly 
upon  the  Colored  Baptists  of  the  State,  and  such  other 
friends  in  the  State  as  it  might  find  and  interest. 

To  overcome  these  obstacles  arising  from  financial 
weakness,  division  of  interest  and  sentiment,  required  great 
courage,  strong  resolution  and  wise  leadership.  But  despite 
these  drawbacks  and  discouragements  the  State  was  blessed 
with  a  goodly  number  of  strong  ministers  of  the  Gospel, 
strong  pastors  and  strong  men  and  women  in  other  profes- 
sions and  callings  and  among  the  laity.  Among  the  Gospel 
ministry  were  such  as  Dr.  Daniel  Straton,  Dr.  I.  V.  Bryant, 
Dr.  C.  N.  Harris,  Dr.  R.  H.  McCoy,  Dr.  J.  W.  Robinson, 
Rev.  Dr.  Mitchell,  Dr.  D.  C.  Hunter,  Dr.  H.  C.  Gregory,  Dr. 
D.  C.  Dean,  Dr.  G.  W.  Woody,  Dr.  Wm.  Jackson,  Dr.  B.  R. 
Reed,  Dr.  W.  H.  Crawley,  Dr.  J.  W.  Page,  Dr.  L.  A.  Watkins, 
Dr.  J.  D.  Coleman,  Rev.  Dr.  Pryor,  Dr.  S.  E.  Williams,  Dr. 
W.  T.  Kenney,  Dr.  R.  D.  W.  Meadows,  State  Missionary, 
and  others  wearing  the  title  of  D.  D. 

Associated  with  these  under  more  modest  titles  were  a 
large  company  of  strong  gospel  ministers,  as  Rev.  A.  D. 
Lewis,  Rev.  L.  Dabney,  Rev.  W.  W.  Hicks,  Rev.  E.  G.  Hol- 
combe,  Rev.  N.  A.  Smith,  Rev  P.  A.  Harris,  Rev.  H.  M.  C. 
Reed,  Rev.  S.  A.  Thurston,  Rev.  R.  Daniels,  Rev.  Frank 
Smith,  Rev.  J.  J.  Tunaer,  State  Sunday  School  Missionary, 
and  other  ministers. 


54  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

Among  the  laity  were  such  influential  worker  as  Prof. 
J.  W.  Scott,  Prof.  Byrd  Prilleman,  Prof.  H.  B.  Rice,  Prof. 
Boyd  of  Charleston  High  School,  Prof.  Mosse  of  Hinton, 
Prof.  R.  P.  Sims,  Principal  of  Bluefield  Institute;  Prof.  H. 
Hatter  of  Bluefield  Institute ;  Prof.  Thomas  Jefferson  of  Hill 
Top,  Prof.  Wyky  of  Kimball  High  School.  And  in  the  medi- 
cal profession  among  others  were  Dr.  Lawrence  and  Mrs. 
Dr.  Lawrence  of  Montgomery,  Dr.  Washington  and  Mrs.  Dr. 
Washington  of  Hill  Top,  Dr.  Gordon  of  Thurmon,  Dr.  Cal- 
laway and  Mrs.  Dr.  Callaway  and  Dr.  Anderson  and  Mrs.  Dr. 
Anderson  of  McDonald,  Dr.  Holley  and  Mrs.  Dr.  Holly  of 
Hinton.  Besides  these,  in  the  same  profession  were  those 
of  Huntington,  Charleston,  Bluefield  and  other  places,  too 
numerous  to  mention. 

And  of  those  nearer  the  great  rank  and  file  of  the 
people  were  Brother  J.  P.  Caul,  Sisters  Parker,  Alexander, 
Fannie  Cobb  Carter,  and  others  of  Charleston;  Sisters 
Hodge,  Wilk'Erson  and  others  of  Montgomery;  Brothers 
John,  James  and  George  Monroe,  Hicklin,  Clemmens,  Mclver, 
Hughes,  Denson,  Price,  Tranum,  Reynals,  Wilson,  Penn, 
Oglesby,  Gregory,  Higginbotham  and  other  brethren  of  Red 
Star,  Hill  Top,  and  Prudence,  and  their  respective  and  wor- 
thy companions.  Also  Mrs.  Oglesby  of  long  standing  as 
teacher,  and  Mrs.  Prof.  Jefferson,  and  Mrs.  M.  A.  W. 
Thompson,  president  of  the  Women's  Baptist  State  Conven- 
tion, all  of  Hill  Top,  F.  W.  Board  and  Stanley  McNorton, 
and  others  of  Glen  Jean ;  W.  P.  Palmer,  wife  and  daughter 
(Maybelle)  Bowks  and  family,  and  others  of  Sun ;  J.  Mclver 
and  wife,  and  A.  Callaway  and  family  of  McDonald;  A.  P. 
Straughter  and  wife  and  others  of  Hinton — these  all  merit 
special  mention.  But  to  mention  by  name  all  of  those  of 
the  various  professions  and  classes,  in  this  connection,  that 
are  highly  worthy  would  require  a  volume. 

The  persons  here  named  and  those  highly  deserving 
but  not  named,  becoming  stirred  by  the  burning  of  the 
school  property,  and  by  the  resolute  determination  of  the 
trustees  to  rebuild  and  by  the  liberal  propositions  of  Mr. 
Samuel  Dixon  and  the  Jones  Brothers,  especially  by  that  of 
the  Jones  Brothers,  and  moved  by  clearer  vision,  and  a 


REV.  JARED  M.  ARTER,  INSTRUCTOR  IN  VIRGINIA  THEOLOGICAL 
SEMINARY  AND  VOLLEGE,  LYNCHBURG,  V A.,  JAN.  1,  1895  TO  SEPT. 
1,  1898. 


56  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

growing-  sense  of  race  pride  and  State  pride,  and  by  a 
deeper  sense  of  racial  needs  and  duty,  began  to  grow  in 
interest  and  responsiveness  and  in  more  perfect  organiza- 
tion for  work.  Thus,  from  almost  all  parts  of  the  State 
they  began  to  rally  around  the  denominational  enterprise  at 
Hill  Top. 

The  fifty  acres  donated  by  the  Jones  Brothers  enabled 
the  trustees  to  abandon  the  old,  obscure  site  and  to  make 
choice  of  a  location  lying  along  the  highway  between 
Raleigh  and  Fayetteville,  which  forms  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  lovely  school  sites  to  be  found  anywhere  in 
the  State  of  West  Virginia. 

The  building  originally  planned  to  be  erected  was  in 
the  form  of  a  center  building  between  two  wings.  The 
center  building  was  to  be  five  stories,  including  the  base- 
ment, and  the  wings  four  stories  each.  But  the  trustees 
knew  that  was  too  arduous  and  expensive  a  task  to  be 
undertaken  at  once  with  any  hope  of  success.  Hence  to  be 
practical  and  to  meet  present  needs  they  decided  to  under- 
take that  year  to  build  the  west  wing  of  the  building  as 
planned.  About  the  middle  of  June,  1909,  work  was  com- 
menced. A  foundation,  90  feet  by  44  feet,  was  excavated 
and  a  concrete  base  put  in,  and  four-story  building  con- 
structed of  Charleston  paving  brick,  for  most  part  nearly 
as  hard  as  iron.  The  walls  for  the  first  twelve  feet  were 
eighteen  inches  thick,  the  remainder  thirteen  inches.  The 
building  thus  erected  contains  twenty-eight  dormitory 
rooms,  chapel,  office,  kitchen,  pantries,  dining  room  and 
laundry.  The  brick-layers  that  constructed  this  building 
were  colored,  the  carpenters  were  white,  and  Prof.  Hamilton 
Hatter  of  Bluefield  general  manager.  The  building  was  put 
under  roof  by  the  last  of  November,  the  doors  and  windows 
closed  by  rough  lumber,  and  work  ceased  for  that  year. 
In  the  spring  and  summer  of  1910  the  doors  were  hung,  the 
windows  put  in  and  a  part  of  the  floors  laid,  and  further 
work  for  want  of  funds  was  postponed  indefinitely.  In  the 
interim  for  the  housing  and  conducting  of  the  school  the 
board  of  education  in  the  summer  of  1909  turned  over  to 
the  colored  citizens  of  Hill  Top  and  Red  Star,  the  white 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  57 

school  property.  This  property  consisted  of  fair-size  school 
grounds  and  a  large  four-room,  frame  building,  standing 
along  the  same  highway  and  about  150  yards  west  from 
the  site  of  the  new  Baptist  Seminary  building. 

Here  Jared,  as  principal  of  the  graded  and  high  school 
and  president  of  the  seminary,  assisted  by  Prof.  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson, Mrs.  M.  A.  Thompson,  Mrs.  M.  M.  W.  Arter,  Miss 
Ardelle  Smith  and  a  number  of  student  teachers,  conducted 
the  school  for  a  number  of  years  of  his  stay  at  Hill  Top,  and 
while  the  seminary  building  was  in  process  of  construction. 
During  these  years  the  standard  of  the  high  school  was 
advanced  two  years,  the  enrollment  of  students  raised  from 
90  to  125  and  three  promising  classes  were  graduated.  In 
the  year  1912  the  co-operative  relation  between  county 
school  and  the  seminary  was  dissolved  and  the  two  schools 
then  ran  independently.  At  the  meeting  of  the  country 
school  board  that  summer  Jared  was  reelected  principal  of 
the  high  school  and  at  the  meeting  of  the  trustees  he  was 
reelected  president  of  the  seminary.  This  gave  Jared  the 
choice  of  which  he  would  retain,  as  he  could  not  longer  re 
tain  both.  Although  he  saw  that  the  road  ahead  of  him 
would  be  rough  and  perplexing,  yet  because  more  sacred 
and  stronger  in  its  claims,  he  willingly  resigned  from  the 
work  of  the  county  and  State  and  clung  to  that  of  the  semi- 
nary and  church. 

After  the  doors  of  the  new  building  were  hung,  the 
windows  put  in  and  a  part  of  the  floors  laid  in  the  summer 
of  1910,  further  work  on  the  building  was  quite  slow  and 
uncertain.  The  trustees  were  divided  in  their  judgment 
and  sentiment.  Some  favored  paying  off  all  debts  and 
accumulating  a  good  sized  fund  before  doing  more  towards 
completing  the  building.  Others  favored  going  right  ahead 
with  the  completion  of  the  building  as  rapidly  as  posible. 
The  conservative  element  was  in  the  ascendancy  and  so 
the  work  was  not  vigorously  pushed.  Through  State  Sena- 
tor Wm.  Johnson,  who  had  his  home  in  Hill  Top,  and  to 
encourage  the  enterprise  the  State  legislature  was  led  at 
two  different  times  to  make  an  appropriation  for  the  work 
of  $2,000.00.     The  first  appropriation  was  made  by  the  legis- 


MRS.  MAGGIE  WALL  ARTER,  WIFE  OF  REV.  JARED  M.  ARTER,  D.  D. 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  59 

lature  at  its  first  meeting  after  the  burning  of  the  building, 
but  was  vetoed  by  the  Governor.  The  second  was  made  in 
1913.  Jared  visited  the  Board  of  Control  in  effort  to  secure 
this  appropriation.  The  president  of  the  Board  instructed 
Jared  to  say  to  his  trustees  that  if  they  would  go  to  work, 
push  matters  and  finish  their  building  so  as  to  be  ready  to 
open  their  school  at  the  time  of  the  opening  of  the  State 
schools  in  the  following  fall,  that  the  Board  of  Control  would 
guarantee  to  them  that  the  $2,000.00  would  be  promptly 
paid  over  to  the  work.  The  President  of  the  Board  added 
that  this  being  secured  would  only  be  a  beginning  of  what 
the  trustees  might  expect. 

The  Trustee  Board  at  that  very  time  was  in  session 
at  the  First  Baptist  Church  of  Charleston.  Jared  politely 
thanked  the  Board  of  Control  for  their  encouragement  and 
assurance,  and  with  light  heart  and  quick  step  made  his 
way  to  the  meting  of  the  Trustee  Board,  feeling  sure  that 
he  had  news  that  would  gladden  their  hearts  and  that  would 
be  most  heartily  approved  by  each  of  them. 

So  at  the  earliest  opportunity  Jared  secured  the  privi- 
lege of  addressing  the  board  and  of  breaking  to  them  the 
glorious  news  from  the  Board  of  Control.  Imagine  the 
disappointment,  chill,  and  discouragement  for  a  brief  time 
at  least  of  Jared's  ardor,  when  a  leading  member  of  the 
Trustee  Board  arose  after  Jared  had  finished  his  remarks, 
and  in  the  briefest  words  said :  "We  don't  want  the  State's 
money!  We  will  not  have  our  school  in  politics!  We  will 
run  our  own  school." 

The  majority  of  the  Board  sided  with  this  view.  Jared 
knew,  however,  that  the  sentiment  of  the  people  over  the 
State  did  not  endorse  this  view.  Hence  he  determined  to 
make  strenuous  efforts  to  meet  the  proposition  of  the 
Board  of  Control. 

He  had  printed  about  500  pamphlets  containing  the  plan, 
character,  and  purpose  of  the  organization,  and  plan  and 
instructions  for  organizing  and  conducting  literary  socie- 
ties in  connection  with  the  same,  and  thus  he  proceeded 
over  the  State  and  organized  nearly  80  Forward  Movement 
Clubs  and   Literary  Societies.     He  took  pledges   of  these 


60  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

clubs  to  raise  certain  sums  of  money  to  push  the  work  on 
the  building.  Some  clubs  pledged  themselves  to  raise 
$50.00,  some  $100.00,  some  $150.00,  some  $200.00.  Having 
completed  these  organizations,  Jared  obtained  the  privilege 
from  the  operators  and  made  a  personal  canvass  of  more 
than  a  score  of  coal  mines,  going  down  in  some  shaft  mines 
more  than  500  feet  before  reaching  the  bottom.  All  these 
mines  were  wired  up  with  electricity.  In  some  cases  the 
wires  carried  as  much  as  500  volts.  Through  these  mines 
Jared  went  for  most  part  bending  low,  hour  after  hour, 
and  from  room  to  room,  taking  personal  subscriptions  to  be 
paid  through  the  office  of  the  companies.  Most  times  he 
had  a  guide,  sometimes  he  had  none.  As  he  sits  down  at 
times  and  thinks  of  his  adventures  in  these  mines  he  can 
account  for  the  fact  that  he  never  came  in  contact  with 
any  of  the  wires,  or  suffered  serious  injury  in  any  other 
way  only  through  a  remarkable  presence  of  mind,  and  the 
marvelous  providence  of  almighty  God.  Once  only  he  was 
knocked  flat  by  butting  his  head  hard  against  the  roof 
of  a  mine,  resulting  in  the  shedding  of  considerable  blood ; 
and  other  times,  quite  a  few,  he  was  made  to  feel  quite 
uncomfortable  for  brief  periods  by  misjudging  the  height 
of  roofs  and  striking  his  head  pretty  hard  against  them. 
But  these  experiences  while  not  enjoyed  at  the  time,  only 
tend  to  make  life  richer,  and  sometimes  serve  at  amusing 
reminiscences.  Very  few  of  the  clubs  raised  and  sent  in 
any  part  of  their  pledges  in  time  to  be  applied  to  the  effort 
Jared  was  making.  This  was  largely  due  to  the  jealousy 
of  certain  leaders  who  discouraged  the  clubs  or  persuaded 
them  to  turn  over  whatever  they  raised  to  the  Association 
to  which  they  belonged,  and  to  let  it  go  up  in  the  regular 
way  with  the  educational  money  to  the  State  convention. 
But  despite  these  impediments,  with  what  money  Jared 
was  enabled  to  obtain  through  clubs  and  his  own  personal 
canvassing  of  mines  he  was  able  to  purchase  material  and 
to  secure  the  services  of  Deacon  Pack  of  the  First  Baptist 
Church  of  Hinton  and  his  force  of  plasterers  and  thus  to 
have  the  fourteen  dormitory  rooms  of  the  second  floor 
above  the  basement  lathed  and  plastered  in  excellent  form 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  61 

ready  for  occupancy  or  use  by  the  time  of  the  opening  of 
the  State  schools  in  the  fall.  But  this  was  far  from  being 
in  position  to  claim  the  $2,000.00  appropriated  by  the  State. 
Indeed,  the  proposition  of  the  State  Board  of  Control  could 
have  been  met  and  met  in  good  form  only  by  the  united 
efforts  of  the  whole  Trustee  Board  and  the  application  of  all 
educational  money  raised  by  the  Baptists  in  the  State  as 
building  fund,  to  pushing  the  work  of  completing  the  build- 
ing by  the  specified  time.  This  would  have  been  a  worthy 
effort  and  a  worth-while  achievement.  But  short-sighted- 
ness, jealousy,  selfishness,  and  a  division  in  the  Trustee 
Board  made  this  impossible.  So  far  from  making  any 
efforts  to  open  the  school  in  the  new  building  that  fall 
(1914)  the  Trustees  at  the  State  convention,  at  Wheeling, 
voted  to  close  the  school  indefinitely  and  to  pay  off  all  indebt- 
edness. Of  course,  it  goes  without  saying  that  a  part  of 
this  impeding  and  unwise  action  of  the  board  was  due  to  a 
fight  against  Jared.  And  why  was  there  a  fight  against 
Jared?  It  was  largely  because  there  were  a  number  of 
members  on  the  board  who  wanted  to  be  president  of  the 
school.  With  the  vote  to  close  the  school  indefinitely 
Jared's  administration  as  president  ended,  and  the  school 
remained  closed  for  three  years.  Jared  has  this  to  his 
credit  as  a  consolation :  When  he  took  charge  of  the  school 
as  its  president  in  the  fall  of  1908  the  trustees  had  four 
acres  in  a  low,  obscure  site,  granted  to  them  for  religious 
and  educational  purposes  only,  with  the  condition  if  they 
should  ever  wish  to  come  into  full  possession  of  the  land 
they  might  do  so  by  the  payment  of  $1,500.00.  Upon  this 
land  as  the  main  building,  they  had  a  two-story  frame 
structure  containing  sixteen  dormitory  rooms,  an  office, 
chapel,  two  large  class-rooms  and  printing  office,  with  a 
useless  hot-air  furnace  beneath.  This  property  was  valued 
at  $6,000.00.  There  were  other  buildings  valued  at  $1,500.00 
and  the  furniture  at  $1,500.00,  the  total  valuation  of  all  the 
property  being  $9,000.00.  Upon  this  property  there  was  a 
debt  of  $4,000.00. 

When  Jared's  administration  ended  in  the  fall  of  1914, 
the  Trustees  had  fifty  acres  deeded  to  them  and  their  sue- 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  63 

cessors  perpetually,  outright  and  valued  at  $12,500.00,  and 
a  four-story  brick  structure  valued  at  $12,500.00,  with  an 
indebtedness  of  about  $5,000.00.  In  other  words,  when 
Jared  took  charge  of  the  work  the  trustees  held  for  the 
Baptists  at  Hill  Top  School  property  clear  of  debt  valued  at 
$5,000.00.  When  Jared's  administration  ended  after  six 
years'  service,  the  trustees  held  for  the  Baptists  at  Hill  Top 
School  property  clear  of  debt  valued  at  $20,000.00.  This  is 
saying  nothing  of  the  increase  of  teachers  employed,  the 
advance  in  salaries  paid  and  the  better  trained  classes  gradu- 
ated. In  the  spring  of  1914  while  still  serving  as  president 
of  the  seminary  Jared  received  a  call  to  the  pastorate  of  the 
Baptist  Church  of  Sun,  W.  Va.,  just  two  miles  from  Hill 
Top.  He  accepted  and  here  he  found  some  as  fine  people 
and  as  faithful  members  as  any  pastor  could  wish  to  be 
associated  with.  Two  successful  revivals  were  held,  a  flour- 
ishing choir  was  formed  and  the  church  advanced  to  the 
practice1  of  having  preaching  and  other  divine  services  on 
two  Sundays  in  each  month  instead  of  only  one,  as  had  been 
the  practice  in  all  the  years  before.  Jared's  pastoral  service 
with  this  people  was  a  most  enjoyable  one,  and  when  h& 
resigned  to  acept  a  call  to  another  field  they  gave  him  a 
letter  of  commendation  expressing  their  appreciation  of  his 
life  and  character  as  a  man  and  Christian  minister,  and  of 
the  helpful  service  he  had  been  to  them  as  individuals  and 
as  a  church,  in  terms  and  sentiments  so  beautiful,  loving 
and  touching  as  to  make  in  his  heart  for  that  people  a  place 
warm  and  ever  green. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

JARED'S  TEACHING  AT  FAYETTEVILLE  AND 

RECALL  TO  THE  WORK  AT  HARPER'S 

FERRY 

After  being  released  from  the  presidency  of  the  semi- 
nary, Jared  accepted  appointment  as  principal  of  the 
Fayetteville  graded  school.  Here  he  taught  and  continued 
to  serve  as  pastor  at  Sun  until  the  fall  of  1916,  when  he 
received  and  accepted  a  recall  to  the  pastorate  of  the  College 
Church  at  Harper's  Ferry.  He  began  his  work  here  for 
the  second  time  September  9th,  and  when  the  school  opened 
arrangements  were  made  with  him  to  take  charge  of  the 
Bible  work  of  the  college,  and  to  assist  Prof.  H.  H.  Winters 
in  superintending  the  boys  at  Lincoln  Hall.  These  duties 
were  quite  agreeable  and  the  work  for  the  most  part  went 
forward  in  a  normal  way. 

There  is  perhaps  but  one  thing  in  the  course  of  Jared's 
work  this  year  that  merits  special  mention,  and  that  is  the 
revival  begun  on  the  last  Sunday  of  that  year,  December 
31st,  1916,  and  continued  for  two  weeks,  closing  Sunday, 
January  14,  1917. 

Mrs.  Elizabeth  M.  McDonald,  wife  of  H.  T.  McDonald, 
president  of  Storer  College,  writing  to  the  Missionary 
Helper  concerning  this  revival,  said:  "Storer  has  just  wit- 
nessed one  of  the  most  satisfying  revivals  in  her  history. 
In  two  weeks  nearly  every  student  out  of  157  has  declared 
himself  openly  for  Christ.  Think  of  what  that  may  mean 
in  the  next  thirty  years.  For  in  a  school  like  this  it  is  not 
merely  a  matter  of  saving  souls,  but  it  is  saving  leaders 
who  are  going  out  to  powerfully  touch  for  weal  or  woe  the 
other  souls  in  their  community.  And  so  when  our  best  sing- 
ers, football  and  baseball  players,  our  strongest  students  in 
all  departments,  put  themselves  on  the  right  side,  it  means 
that  just  so  many  more  safe  leaders  are  given  to  the  col- 
ored race  and  to  humanity.  The  writer  has  seen  many  re- 
vivals, but  never  one  like  this,  where  at  a  word  from  the 
leader,  several  would  instantly  respond  with  professions  of 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  65 

their  desire  for  a  changed  life.  To  a  casual  observer,  it 
seemed  little  short  of  marvelous,  but  when  one  realized 
the  personal  work  done  each  day  by  the  pastor,  Rev.  J.  M. 
Arter,  and  the  systematic,  earnest  campaigning1  done  by  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  C.  E.  and  the  Christian  boys  and  girls  for 
their  non-Christian  classmates  one  realizes  that  in  these 
meetings  faith  and  works  were  indeed  going  hand  in  hand. 
Too  often  in  a  school,  a  revival  breaks  up  class  and  disor- 
ganizes routine;  it  was  not  so  with  us  in  the  last  few 
weeks.  Instead  there  seemed  a  more  earnest  desire  to  show 
practical  Christian  living  by  a  more  conscientious  perform- 
ance of  all  duties  by  a  greater  carefulness  on  the  part  of 
the  careless.  Nothing  more  clearly  told  me  that  one  of  our 
heedles  boys  was  sincere  in  his  efforts  than  When  one  morn- 
ing he  stopped  before  class  to  carefully  explain  why  his  les- 
sons was  incompletely  prepared.  In  all  previous  years  he 
had  never  deigned  any  explanation  even  when  it  was  asked 
for.  And  between  teacher  and  student  there  is  a  greater 
harmony,  a  more  human  .understanding  and  fellowship, 
which  is  one  of  the  sweetest  experiences  of  the  teacher's 
life.  The  Christ  life  did  not  dawn  for  all  the  same  way. 
-Some  were  obliged  to  seek  Him  in  the  storm  and  stress  of 
the  old  time,  of  the  old-time  religion  accompanied  by  the 
beautiful,  old-time  hymn,  that  we  so  seldom  hear  at  Storer 
in  these  latter  days ;  to  others  it  was  a  thoughtful,  sober 
determination  to  work  on  God's  side.  You  will  be  interested 
in  one  young  man,  a  Junior.  Several  years  ago  he  started 
his  course  with  a  smart  lad  among  students  of  his  own  age. 
Circumstances  forced  him  to  leave  school,  but  did  not  take 
from  his  his  ambition.  A  younger  brother  and  sister  en- 
tered Storer  before  he  was  able  to  return.  Two  years  ago 
he  returned  a  freshman,  while  his  brother  and  sister  were 
already  in  the  Junior  class.  What  would  have  been  so 
galling  to  the  spirit  of  a  youth  of  less  perseverance,  made 
him  only  more  determined  to  make  good.  And  he  has  made 
good  in  everything  he  has  undertaken.  Therefore,  when 
at  our  closing  meeting  he  quietly  announced  his  decision 
to  be  a  Christian,  we  all  felt  his  strength  would  be  as  the 
strength  of  ten.     Many  times  during  these  two  weeks  it 


66  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

seemed  as  if  the  spirit  of  those  at  the  North  who  so  ear- 
nestly pray  for  Storer  was  present  with  us.  Often  the 
older  teachers  spoke  of  Mrs.  Anne  Dudley  Bates  and  her 
daily  prayer  for  the  salvation  of  our  boys  and  girls.  To 
those  who  know  the  history  of  Storer  this  revival  is  a 
fresh  evidence  of  God's  answer  to  prayer,  so  often  shown 
towards  Storer.  And  now  that  our  young  people  have  been 
taken  under  the  watch-care  of  the  church  and  are  being 
helped  through  Bible  study  and  special  Sunday  afternoon 
meetings  to  adjust  themselves  to  the  regular  religious  duties 
demanded  of  active  Christians,  we  are  attacking  our  work 
with  fresh  vigor  and  courage."  This  is  certainly  valuable 
testimony  to  the  blessed  character  and  true  success  and 
worth  of  this  revival.  During  the  remainder  of  this  school 
year,  Jared's  work  as  pastor  of  the  church  and  teacher  of 
the  Bible  work  moved  along  quite  normally,  nothing,  per- 
haps, meriting  special  mention  occurred.  With  the  close 
of  1917  and  the  opening  of  1918  again  we  ran  a  revival 
for  about  two  weeks  and  were  blessed  with  about  ten  con- 
verts. During  the  remainder  of  this  school  year  nothing 
deserving  special  mention  in  the  line  of  Jared's  work  oc- 
curred. In  the  fall  of  1918,  a  large  number  of  the  male 
students  of  Storer  had  been  drafted  and  were  subject  to 
be  called  to  the  colors  any  day,  and  as  the  girls  always  out- 
number the  boys  and  now  it  seemed  the  girls  in  the  school 
would  be  more  than  two  to  one  of  the  boys ;  so  for  the  sake 
of  economy  and  as  a  war  measure,  it  was  decided  to  make 
an  important  change  in  the  dormitory  homes  of  students. 
Lincoln  Hall,  though  in  the  most  retired  part  of  the  campus, 
was  originally  built  for  the  boys,  and  when  destroyed  by 
fire  some  years  ago  it  was  rebuilt  for  the  boys.  It  was 
rebuilt  of  stone,  large  gray  stone,  with  thick,  heavy  walls; 
a  gymnasium,  large  dining  room,  kitchen,  pantry,  store- 
room, and  other  rooms  on  the  basement  floor.  Its  halls  are 
large  and  airy.  Its  rooms  are  large  and  well-lighted,  with 
high  ceilings,  and  large  clothes-closets.  Thus  in  every  way 
Lincoln  Hall  is  the  most  ample,  roomy  and  attractive  dormi- 
tory on  the  school  campus.  This  hall,  for  the  reasons  men- 
tioned, was  given  to  the  girls,  and  the  boys  were  transferred 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  67 

to  Myrtle  Hall,  now  changed  in  name  to  Mosier  Hall.  The 
president  of  Storer  had  been  South  a  part  of  this  year 
(1918)  visiting  a  number  of  schools,  and  he  had  observed 
some  practices  which  he  decided  would  be  of  advantage 
if  applied   in   Storer. 

One  was  to  have  the  boys  hall  superintended  by  a  man 
and  his  wife. 

So  Jared  and  his  wife,  Mrs.  M.  M.  W.  Arter,  were  asked 
to  move  into  Myrtle  and  to  take  charge  of  the  boys.  They 
accepted  the  charge  and  superintended  the  boys  for  two 
years.  Mrs.  Arter  demanded  a  high  standard  and  some 
of  the  boys  thought  she  was  too  exacting. 

But  as  we  never  know  the  full  worth  of  privilege, 
service  or  possession  till  we  lose  them,  so  the  old  boys, 
some  that  have  graduated  and  some  that  are  still  here  seem 
never  to  tire  of  telling  her  in  person  or  through  letters 
how  much  they  were  helped  by  her  careful  supervision  and 
ministry  to  them  when  sick,  and  how  much  they  have  missed 
her  counsel  and  advice  since  she  gave  up  the  hall.  Jared 
liked  the  work  and  for  the  most  part  got  along  well  with 
the  boys.  But  he  esteemed  his  strictly  religious  work  above 
all  else,  and  he  came  to  feel  that  his  familiar  association 
with  the  boys,  and  his  having  to  police  them,  censure  them, 
and  discipline  them  at  times,  diminished,  somewhat,  his 
influence  over  them  as  a  Gospel  minister.  For  this  reason 
with  the  close  of  the  school  year,  1920,  he  arranged  to  give 
up  the  superintendence  of  the  boys.  Each  of  these  years 
was  closed  and  the  new  year  begun  with  a  protracted  meet- 
ing participated  in  by  pastor,  members  of  the  faculty,  church, 
and  Christian  students  and  on  each  occasion  new  souls 
were  brought  into  the  kingdom,  backsliders  reclaimed,  and 
the  Christian  body  spiritually  revived  and  strengthened. 

But  the  visible  results  of  the  revival  efforts  at  the  close 
of  1919  and  the  beginning  of  1920  were  so  unsatisfactory 
to  Jared  that  he  secured  the  services  of  a  special  and  strong 
evangelist  in  the  last  week  of  March,  and  by  the  grace  of 
God  through  his  preaching  and  song  services  and  the  pray- 
ers of  God's  people  some  twenty  souls  were  led  to  accept 


68  ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER   LIFE 

Christ,  and  four  were  reclaimed.  All  were  taken  under 
the  watch-care  of  the  Church. 

During  the  school  year  of  1920  and  1921  Jared  served 
simply  as  pastor  of  the  Church  and  student  body.  In  the 
early  summer  of  1921  the  harmony  between  the  church 
and  school  that  had  been  so  cordial  in  relation  to  the 
pastor  was  now  becoming  disturbed  and  discordant. 

It  was  evident  in  the  interest  of  peace,  harmony  and 
good-will,  that  a  separation  between  church  and  pastor 
should  take  place. 

As  the  church  had  been  brought  to  a  status  of  activity 
greater  than  ever  before,  was  paying  larger  dues,  and  rais- 
ing more  money  for  support  of  pastor  and  support  of  the 
church-work  than  ever  before  in  its  history,  and  was  re- 
ceiving greater  recognition  as  an  independent  body  both  by 
the  school  and  the  other  churches  of  the  community  than 
ever  before,  it  seemed  an  opportune  time  for  the  pastor  to 
resign. 

So  he  offered  his  resignation  to  take  effect  with  the 
closing  services  Sunday  night  of  October  9,  1921. 

Sometime  in  September  of  this  year  Jared  received  an 
urgent  request  from  Dr.  C.  H.  Parrish,  president  of  Sim- 
mons University,  Louisville,  Ky.,  to  take  charge  of  the 
ministerial  department  of  that  institution.  Jared  had  ac- 
cepted the  offer  and  had  promised,  no  preventing  providence, 
to  be  there  to  begin  work  Monday,  October  22.  But  on  Sep- 
tember 29,  eleven  days  before  the  expiration  of  his  services 
to  the  college  church  and  twenty-three  days  before  he 
was  to  enter  upon  his  duties  in  Simmons  University,  he  was 
suddenly,  from  a  vigorous  state  of  health,  struck  down  with 
a  most  dangerous  urinary  attack.  In  twelve  hours  he  had 
to  have  a  doctor  four  times,  and  getting  almost  no  relief 
he  was  rushed  to  the  local  hospital  of  Charles  Town,  where 
he  remained  a  week. 

Here  he  was  able  to  obtain  slight  temporary  relief  and 
to  learn  that  his  condition  was  very  serious  and  that  noth- 
ing short  of  two  major  and  very  serious  operations,  would 
probably  give  him  any  permanent  relief. 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  69 

Jared  sugested  going  to  Freedmen's  Hospital,  and  the 
attending  physician  advised  him  to  go  there  for  treatment. 
He  accepted  the  advice  and  went  to  Freedmen's  determined 
to  secure  the  services  of  a  specialist  on  urinary  troubles,  to 
learn  the  worst  about  his  condition,  and  to  do  what  was 
advised  to  be  the  safest  and  best  thing  to  do.  Arriving  at 
Freedmen's  Friday,  October  7,  he  secured  the  services  of 
a  specialist,  Dr.  Milton  Francis,  and  was  examined  and 
told  his  exact  trouble ;  that  he  could  be  patched  up  without 
operations,  and  given  temporary  relief;  that  in  this  way  he 
might  be  kept  alive  a  few  months,  possibly  a  year  or  more, 
but  that  he  would  get  but  little  comfort  and  would  be  of 
little  service  to  himself  or  to  anyone  else.  But  that  if  he 
would  submit  to  two  operations  serious  in  their  nature  and 
could  stand  them,  and  the  doctor  assured  him  that  he  could, 
such  treatment  would  make  him  as  well  as  he  ever  was  and 
would  add  ten  or  twelve  years  to  his  life. 

Jared  knew  he  could  not  endure  long  the  dreadful  suf- 
fering that  had  brought  him  so  near  the  grave  in  course 
of  the  last  eight  or  ten  days,  and  to  continue  such  if  there 
was  a  remedy,  would  virtually  be  suicide.  So  he  determined 
to  chance  the  operations.  On  the  eleventh  of  October  he 
underwent  the  first  operation,  and  was  confined  to  bed,  lying 
only  Upon  back  and  one  side  for  five  weeks. 

Then  the  major  operation  was  successfully  performed, 
and  for  six  days  the  suffering  was  so  intense  and  persistent 
that  twice  at  least  it  seemed  that  Jared  must  yield  up  the 
ghost  and  pass  to  his  long  home.  At  those  times  he  had 
become  quite  willing  to  go  and  even  wanted  to  go,  if  the 
Lord  so  willed. 

After  six  days  he  began  to  improve  rapidly  and  after 
nine  weeks  including  the  one  spent  in  the  local  hospital  he 
was  sent  home  with  the  assurance  that  he  would  never  be 
troubled  again  with  the  same  complaint.  It  is  said,  "Every 
cloud  has  a  silver  lining,"  and  that  "night  brings  out  the 
stars."  This  was  verified  in  Jared's  hospital  experience. 
While  he  suffered  intensely,  and  the  brittle  cord  of  life 
seemed  ready  to  break  at  any  moment,  he  was  most  beauti- 
fully and  comfortingly  remembered  by  his  friends.      The 


70  ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER  LIFE 

many  touching  letters  and  cards  received,  a  strong  letter 
from  Pres.  H.  T.  McDonald  of  Storer  merits  special  men- 
tion, the  constant  and  earnest  inquiries  made,  and  the  fer- 
vent, effectual  prayers  sent  up  to  the  throne  of  heaven  for  his 
speedy  recovery  by  the  church  membership  and  ministry  of 
Harper's  Ferry  and  Charles  Town,  by  the  faculty  and  stu- 
dents of  Storer,  and  by  his  white  neighbors  and  friends  of 
Harper's  Ferry  and  Bolivar;  also  by  friends  in  many  other 
parts  of  the  State  and  out  of  the  State,  by  one  organization 
as  far  away  as  Chicago,  and  through  gifts  of  money,  fruit 
and  flowers  by  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  of  Storer, 
and  by  the  members  and  friends  of  the  college,  faculty  and 
church,  and  through  a  number  of  visits  and  rich  gifts  of 
choice  fruits  and  flowers  by  the  Lovett  family  of  Hill  Top, 
Harper's  Ferry,  the  many  visits,  cheerful  talks  and  fervent 
prayers  made  to  the  throne  of  heaven  for  him  by  Rev.  Dr. 
W.  H.  Brooks,  Rev.  Dr.  Waldron,  Rev.  Willis  and  other  Gospel 
ministers  of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  elsewhere,  the  frequent 
visits  and  deep  interest  shown  by  the  Storer  boys  of  How- 
ard University,  and  by  Mrs.  Margaret  Lovett  Daniels  and 
her  daughter-in-law  and  Miss  McNorton  and  her  young  lady 
friends,  and  the  visits  and  gifts  of  refreshments  of  Mrs. 
Hamlin  of  Y.  W.  C.  A.  work,  Washington,  D.  C,  the  visit 
and  encouraging  words  of  Miss  Hands,  a  teacher  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  and  the  many  visits,  earnest  prayers,  cheer- 
ful words  and  rich  gifts  of  flowers  and  fruits,  and  the  hearty 
support  in  so  many  ways  given  Mrs  Arter,  Jared's  wife,  by 
Miss  Nannie  Burroughs,  president  of  the  National  Training 
School,  Lincoln  Heights,  Washington,  D.  C,  and  by  a  num- 
ber of  her  teachers  and  close  friends,  and  the  deep  interest, 
and  faithful  attention  given  him  by  his  nephew,  Chas.  Sum- 
ner Arter  and  his  nieces,  Aura  and  Juanita  Arter,  and,  too, 
the  skillful,  faithful,  successful  services  of  the  specialist, 
Dr.  Milton  Frances,  and  the  attentive  and  faithful  services 
of  the  internes,  and  the  very  careful,  faithful  and  untiring 
services  of  the  nurses,  especially  those  of  Miss  Ovington, 
Miss  Moore,  Miss  Lovett,  Miss  Johnson,  Miss  Dunston  and 
others,  and  the  constant  inquiries  and  very  cheerful  words 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  71 

of  the  chief  nurse,  Miss  Irving,  and  the  unstinted  attentions, 
kindly  services  and  gifts  of  refreshments  by  Mrs.  John  Har- 
rod,  and  the  unique  attention,  strenuous  efforts  and  unspar- 
ing denial  and  sacrifices  of  Mrs.  M.  M.  W.  Arter  to  minister 
fully  to  the  comfort  and  restoration  of  Jared  to  health  and 
happiness.  All  these  varied  acts  of  Christian  benevolence 
and  human  kindness,  all  these  varied  acts,  springing  from 
good-will  and  active  desire  in  some  way  and  measure  to  min- 
ister to  the  temporal  and  eternal  comfort  and  well-being  of 
Jared,  the  prostrate  sufferer,  constitute  in  Jared's  life  and 
history  a  chapter  of  sweet-smelling  savor  and  blessed  mem- 
ory, and  shall  ever  be  recalled  as  a  source  of  comfort  and 
cherished  as  one  of  the  factors  that  contributed  so  very 
largely  to  the  certain  and  rapid  restoration  again  to  the 
blessed  condition  of  normal  health  and  active  service. 


CHAPTER    IX 

A  MESSAGE  TO  THE  RACE 

"Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God." 

The  English  term,  "Ethiop"  relating  to  "Ethiopia,"  or 
to  its  inhabitants,  "Ethiopians,"  is  derived  from  the  Latin, 
"Aethiops,"  and  two  Greek  words,  signifying  burnt  face, 
hence  dark  colored,  black."  Ethiopia  primarily  designates 
a  country  and  Ethiopian  an  inhabitant  of  that  country. 

In  the  Bible  we  first  meet  with  the  word  Ethiopia  in 
Gen.  2:13.  Here  it  is  mentioned  in  connection  with  the 
second  branch  of  the  river  that  went  out  of  Eden  to  water 
the  garden  and  was  parted  into   four  heads. 

The  account  there  reads :  "And  the  name  of  the  second 
river  is  Gi-hon:  The  same  is  it  that  compasseth  the  whole 
land  of  Ethiopia."  Here  there  was  in  Asia,  a  country  by  the 
name  of  Ethiopia.     This,  historians  in  general  concede. 

But  the  term  Ethiopia  both  in  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ment, and  in  ancient  and  modern  history,  in  nearly  every 
instance,  applies  to  a  country  in  Africa,  lying  south  of 
Egypt,  including  the  present  countries  of  Nubia,  Abyssinia 
and  parts  of  other  territory. 

But  in  a  wider  sense,  both  in  ancient  and  modern  his- 
tory, the  terms  Ethiopia  and  Ethiopian  and  Kush,  the  He- 
brew form  of  the  same  word,  are  all  used  to  designate  the 
African  or  Negro  race.  This  is  the  general  view  advanced 
by  commentators  on  the  text,  and  this  is  the  view  firmly 
held  by  Jared. 

"Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God." 

These  words  were  uttered  by  David,  a  man  after  God's 
own  heart,  and  Israel's  greatest  king.  They  contain  a  di- 
vine prophecy,  promise  and  appeal.  This  prophecy,  prom- 
ise and  appeal,  given  by  the  God  of  Abraham,  through 
David  the  son  of  Jesse,  is  a  divine  and  most  comforting  and 
inspiring  message  to  Ethiopia,  Kush,  Africa,  the  Negro  as  a 
race,  as  a  people.  The  Psalmist,  under  divine  inspiration, 
has  Jerusalem  in  his  vision  as  a  symbol  of  Israel's  mission 
and  God's  promise  to  Abraham  that  in  his  seed  should  all 


ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER  LIFE  73 

the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed.  And  as  he  looks  down 
the  line  of  the  future,  Jerusalem  with  her  symbolisms,  un- 
folds before  his  inspired  soul,  much  of  her  strength,  beauty, 
blessedness  and  glory.  And  as  he  steadfastly  gazes  upon 
the  scenes  transpiring  before  his  keen  and  kindling  vision, 
he  beholds  the  birth,  death,  resurrection  and  ascension  of 
the  Messiah,  and  other  glories  of  the  Messianic  dispensation. 
He  beholds  many  nations  and  peoples  moved  and  stirred  by 
the  infinite  love  of  God,  expressed  in  the  unspeakable  gift 
of  his  only  son,  and  by  the  ineffable  riches  and  fruition  of 
the  atoning  sacrifice  and  efficacious  life  of  Jesus,  coming 
to  the  fountain  of  regeneration  and  the  waters  of  eternal 
life.  And  as  his  prophetic  and  beatific  vision  deepens  and 
brightens  he  beholds  Ethiopia,  Kush,  Africa,  the  Negro 
race,  becoming  aroused,  stirred,  and  moved,  through  catch- 
ing a  sound  of  the  good  news  and  glad  tidings  of  great  joy 
which  shall  be  to  all  people,  for  unto  us  a  child  is  born, 
unto  us  a  son  is  given.  And  peering  deep  into  the  souls  of 
this  people  and  perceiving  their  love  of  peace,  music,  joy 
and  their  emotional  nature  and  responsiveness  to  light, 
and  love,  right  and  truth,  he  proclaims  the  glorious,  hopeful, 
and  inspiring  divine  message: 

"Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God." 

We  have  here,  then,  "the  sure  word  of  prophecy,"  re- 
ferring to  a  specific  race,  the  African,  the  Negro  race. 

It  would  seem  that  the  Psalmist  had  in  mind  what  was 
and  perhaps  what  is  yet,  a  prevailing  sentiment  among  the 
more  favored  and  enlightened  peoples  of  the  world,  that 
the  Ethiopian  or  Negro  race  is  a  backward  race,  a  race  that 
is  least  expected  to  be  stirred  and  inspired  by  highest  con- 
siderations, and  to  move  along  highest  lines,  and  to  aim 
at  and  strive  for  that  which  is  highest  and  best  in  life. 

As  God  through  the  prophecy  of  Jonah  and  the  vision 
of  Peter  sought  to  correct  the  erroneous  ideas  of  Jonah, 
Peter  and  the  Hebrew  people  concerning  His  attitude  to- 
ward the  heathen  and  Gentile  world;  so  here  it  seems  He 
would  correct  the  erroneous  notions  or  ideas  of  the  more 
favored  peoples  concerning  His  attitude  toward  Ethiopia. 
As  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons  in  the  matter  of  salvation, 


74  ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER  EIFE 

neither  was  He  in  the  matter  of  creation.  "For  God  is 
without,  variableness  or  shadow  of  turning,  the  same  yester- 
day today  and  for  ever." 

"Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God." 
This  prophecy  was  uttered  about  a  thousand  years  be- 
fore the  beginning  of  the  Christian  era.  But  a  thousand 
years  in  the  sight  of  God  is  "but  as  yesterday  or  as  a  watch 
in  the  night,"  is  but  as  a  few  hours  when  it  is  past.  And 
we  may  see  the  dawning  forth  of  the  fulfillment  of  this 
prophecy  in  Matthew's  words :  "And  as  they  came  out  they 
found  a  man  of  Cyrene,  Simon  by  name ;  him  they  compelled 
to  bear  the  cross."  At  first  Jesus  bore  the  cross  alone,  just 
as  He  trod  the  winepress  alone  and  died  alone,  the  just  for 
the  unjust.  Then  the  Cross,  in  part  or  whole,  was  put  upon 
Simon  and  he  bore  it  after  Jesus  to  show  that  man  has  to 
bear  the  cross,  especially  the  followers  of  Jesus,  as  Jesus 
said:  "Except  a  man  take  up  his  cross  and  follow  me  he 
can  not  be  my  disciple."  By  many  commentators,  Simon, 
being  from  Cyrene,  which  is  in  Africa,  is  supposed  to  have 
been  an  African  of  the  Negro  race,  therefore  shadowing 
the  suffering,  sorrow  and  heavy  burdens  which  the  race  was 
destined  to  experience  and  bear,  in  part  preparatory,  and 
in  part  in  the  actual  high  mission,  and  lofty  service  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Again,  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  we 
read:  "Behold  a  man  of  Ethiopia,  an  eunuch  of  great  au- 
thority, under  Candace,  Queen  of  Ethiopia,  who  had  the 
charge  of  all  her  treasure,  and  had  come  to  Jerusalem  for 
to  worship."  Now  this  man  was  returning  and  sitting  in 
his  chariot  reading  Esaias  the  prophet.  Then  the  Spirit 
said  unto  Philip,  Go  near  and  join  thyself  to  this  chariot. 
And  Philip  ran  thither  to  him  and  heard  him  read  the 
prophet  Esaias  and  said,  "Understandest  thou  what  thou 
readest  ?"  And  he  said,  "How  can  I  except  some  man  should 
guide  me?"  And  he  desired  Philip  that  he  would  come  up 
and  sit  with  him.  The  place  of  the  Scripture  which  he  read 
was  this :  He  was  led  as  a  sheep  to  the  slaughter ;  and  like 
a  lamb  dumb  before  his  shearer,  so  opened  he  not  his  mouth : 
In  his  humiliation  his  judgment  was  taken  away,  and  who 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  75 

shall  declare  his  generation?  for  his  life  is  taken  from  the 
earth.  And  the  eunuch  answered  Philip  and  said,  I  pray 
thee  of  whom  speaketh  the  prophet  this?  of  himself  or  of 
some  other  man  ?  Then  Philip  opened  his  mouth  and  began 
at  the  same  Scripture  and  preached  unto  him  Jesus.  And 
as  they  went  on  their  way  they  came  unto  a  certain  water, 
and  the  eunuch  said,  "See,  here  is  water,  what  doth  hinder 
me  to  be  baptized  ?"  And  Philip  said,  "If  thou  believeth  with 
all  thine  heart  thou  mayest."  And  he  answered  and  said, 
"I  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of  God."  And  he 
commanded  the  chariot  to  stand  still,  and  they  went  down 
both  into  the  water,  both  Philip  and  the  eunuch,  and  he 
baptized  him.  And  when  they  were  come  up  out  of  the 
water  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  caught  away  Philip  that  the 
eunuch  saw  him  no  more,  and  he  went  on  his  way  rejoicing. 
Thus  this  eunuch  believed  in  Jesus,  was  converted,  was 
baptized,  and  went  on  his  way  rejoicing,  and  in  the  judgment 
of  most  commentators  on  the  Bible  he  is  regarded  as  an 
African  of  the  Negro  race  and  as  having  been  an  important 
factor  in  the  beginning  of  the  fulfillment  of  the  divine  proph- 
ecy, promise  and  appeal. 

"Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God." 
But  it  is  of  this  prophecy,  this  divine  message,  in  its 
relation  and  application  to  the  Negro  race  in  the  United 
States  of  North  America  and  through  them,  of  its  relation 
and  application  to  the  Ethiopian  race  in  general,  especially 
as  found  in  Africa,  that  I  wish  to  speak  and  to  emphasize 
in  patricular. 

"Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God." 
We  have  here  a  divine  prophecy,  promise  and  appeal 
made  concerning  a  specific  people  and  the  prophecy  and 
promise  are  certain  to  be  realized,  but  how  rich  and  full 
the  harvest  shall  be  depends  on  how  thoroughly  aroused  and 
how  hearty  the  response  and  co-operation  of  Ethiopia  shall 
be  with  the  Holy  Spirit  and  other  means  of  grace  . 

It  has  been  nearly  3,000  years  since  this  prophecy  was 
uttered,  and  more  than  nineteen  centuries  have  rolled  into 
eternity  since  the  angel  of  the  Lord  announced  one  of  the 


76  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

greatest  events  in  the  world's  history,  saying:  "Fear  not, 
for  behold  I  bring  you  good  tidings  of  great  joy  which  shall 
be  unto  all  people.  For  unto  you  is  born  this  day  in  the 
city  of  David  a  Savior  which  is  Christ  the  Lord." 

Within  these  passing  centuries  God  in  His  infinite  wis- 
dom, love  and  power,  has  been  unfolding  and  fulfilling  the 
prophecy  and  promise  of  the  text  in  the  life  and  history  of 
Ethiopia. 

The  Evidence  of  the  Fulfillment  of  This  Prophecy 

At  this  point  let  us  consider  more  carefully  the  evi- 
dences of  the  fulfillment  of  this  divine  prophecy  and  promise 
concerning  the  religious  development  and  progress  of  the 
Negro  race. 

In  the  cource  of  each  decade,  each  score  of  years,  each 
century,  the  sun  of  God's  truth  concerning  the  fulfillment 
of  this  prophecy  has  been  rising  higher  and  higher  and  His 
glorious,  inspiring  light  has  been  shining  brighter  and 
brighter,  and  the  inescapable  and  binding  obligations  of 
Ethiopia,  Kush,  Africa,  the  Negro,  to  make  hearty  response, 
and  untiring  endeavor  to  flee  from  darkness  and  to  come  to 
the  waters,  the  fountain  of  life,  to  Jesus  Christ  the  Lamb 
of  God  that  taketh  away  the  sins  of  the  world,  have  been 
growing  stronger  and  stronger. 

It  is  true  as  the  poet  of  sacred  music  sings : 
"God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way, 

His  wonders  to  perform. 
He  plants  His  footsteps  in  the  sea, 

And  rides  upon  the  storm. 

"His  purposes  ivill  ripen  fast, 

Unfolding  every  hour. 
The  bud  may  have  a  bitter  taste, 

But  sweet  will  be  the  flmver." 

These  stanzas  contain  rich  truths  that  enter  into  the 
evolution  of  the  life  and  history  of  the  Negro  race  in  the 
United  States  of  America  and  elsewhere. 

The  tearing  of  the  Negro  from  the  soil  and  shores  of 
his  native  land  and  introducing  him  in  the  dark,  oppressive 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  11 

and  corruptive  life  of  American  slavery,  and  holding  him 
there  with  increasing  rigor  for  nearly  250  years  presents 
a  gloomy  and  forlorn  picture:  "But  every  cloud  has  a 
silver  lining,"  and  "night  brings  out.  the  stars." 

For  in  the  course  of  those  long  centuries  of  thraldom, 
despite  privation  and  affliction,  the  slave  gained  valuable 
experience  and  possessions.  He  became  trained  in  industry 
and  acquired  an  elementary  knowledge  of  the  English  lan- 
guage and  the  'Christian  religion — a  world  language  and  a 
world  religion.  He  gained  also  a  slight  knowledge  of  trades 
and  of  business.  And  after  being  introduced  into  the  rich- 
est and  most  favored  country  in  the  world  in  natural  re- 
sources and  advantages,  and  multiplying  till  he  numbered 
about  four  millions,  through  the  instrumentality  of  a  great 
Civil  War  in  which  he  in  army  and  navy  numbered  about 
two  hundred  thousand,  he  had  the  exalted  privilege  of  help- 
ing to  save  the  Union  and  to  assist  in  accomplishing  his  own 
emancipation  from  slavery  and  deliverance  into  freedom 
upon  the  soil. 

"Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God." 

In  fulfillment  of  this  prophecy  and  promise  since  Eman- 
cipation, the  truths  therein  involved  have  been  unfolding 
in  marvelous  and  very  convincing  proportions.  Great 
statesmen  and  seers  of  large  vision  and  ripe  scholarship  have 
declared  the  progress  of  the  Negro  race  since  Emancipation 
has  no  parallel  in  history. 

Now,  along  what  line  has  this  advance,  this  progress 
been  most  marked?  Without  doubt  or  controversy  it  has 
been  along  the  line  of  religion,  of  belief  in  Jesus  Christ  as 
the  son  of  God ;  of  repentance,  regeneration,  spirituality,  of 
the  elevation  of  moral  taste  and  growth  in  moral  and 
Christian  character. 

This  is  strictly  in  line  with  the  prophetic  promise  of 
the  text.  This  is  giving  obedience  to  the  injunction  of  our 
Lord  Jesus:  "Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  His 
righteousness,"  and  claiming  the  promise  that  all  necessary 
temporal  blessings  shall  be  added. 

On  good  statistical  authority  it  is  recorded  that  the 


78  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

colored  people  of  the  United  States,  by  1902,  had  built  twen- 
ty-nine thousand  churches. 

This  is  an  average  of  743  per  year. 

At  the  same  rate  by  this  year  (1922)  they  have  built 
forty-three  thousand  churches.  But  the  money  and  energy 
expended  in  erecting  these  church  -edifices  constitute  the 
smaller  part  of  the  money  and  energy  expended  in  accom- 
plishing religious  progress.  In  securing  religious  literature, 
fuel,  janitor  service,  and  in  building  parsonages,  securing 
the  services  of  pastors  and  evangelists,  and  in  fostering  Sun- 
day School  and  mission  work,  more  of  life  energy  has  gone. 

Another  phase  of  the  Negro's  strenuous  endeavors  and 
marked  progress  along  religious  lines  is  found  in  his  hun- 
ger and  struggles  for  education,  especially,  religious  or 
Christian  education. 

Not  only  has  he  rushed  with  avidity  into  the  industrial 
schools,  serminaries  and  colleges  established  all  over  the 
Southland  by  his  white  friends  of  the  North  especially  and 
of  the  South  in  his  industrial,  moral  and  Christian  up- 
building, but  the  colored  people  of  the  country  have  ex- 
pended millions  of  dollars  to  found,  support  and  run  indus- 
trial schools,  seminaries  and  colleges  by  their  own  initiative 
and  persevering  efforts. 

Next  to  the  progress  made  in  religious  belief  and  prac- 
tice, and  in  Christian  education  and  provisions  therefor,  has 
been  the  progress  made  in  patriotism,  in  loyalty  to  the 
State  and  country  in  which  they  have  their  homes  and  of 
which  they  are  citizens. 

In  spite  of  bitter  prejudice,  injustice  and  maltreatment, 
whenever  the  country  has  been  in  danger  and  its  welfare 
threatened,  the  Negro  has  always  been  ready  and  willing  to 
volunteer  his  services  and  to  play  well  his  part. 

In  all  the  wars  of  the  country  of  any  note  the  Negro 
has  had  a  part. 

In  the  French  and  Indian  War,  and  in  the  war  with 
Mexico,  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and  in  the  War  of  1812, 
in  the  great  Civil  War,  in  the  Spanish-American  War,  and 
in  the  great  World  War,  the  Negro  was  there  and  played 
well  his  part. 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  79 

Again,  in  the  matter  of  faithfulness  and  loyalty  in 
marriage  and  home-building  as  husbands  and  wives,  fathers 
and  mothers,  the  race  has  made  very  creditable  and  hopeful 
showing  and  progress. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  man's  first  and  highest 
duty  is  to  God,  his  second  to  his  country,  and  his  third  to 
his  home,  and  the  fact  is  carefully  noted  that  the  greatest 
strides  and  progress  of  the  race  have  been  along  the  lofty 
plains  of  these  divine  institutions,  and  in  the  God  appoint 
order,  it  must,  to  all  thoughtful  persons  be  plain  and  con- 
vincing that  the  divine  prophecy  of  David  is  being  beauti- 
fully fulfilled,  and  that  the  foundation  that  is  thus  being  laid 
in  the  character,  life  and  history  of  the  race,  furnish  sub- 
stantial grounds  for  firm  belief  and  bright  hopes  for  the 
future  of  the  race. 

But  this  progress  and  promising  history  are  largely  the 
work  and  result  of  burnt  children,  of  those  who  have  passed 
through  the  furnace  of  affliction,  privation  and  suffering  and 
of  their  immediate  children,  born  early  enough  to  get  vivid 
and  burning  lessons  concerning  the  sufferings  and  trying 
ordeals  of  their  fathers  and  mothers. 

In  their  afflictions  the  fathers  and  mothers  gained 
some  knowledge  of  the  God  of  Israel,  that  he  is  a  God  of 
loving  kindness  and  tender  mercies  and  that  He  pitieth 
them  that  fear  Him  as  a  father  pitieth  his  children,  and  is 
a  friend  to  the  poor  and  needy.  They  had  learned  to 
pray  and  spent  much  time  in  earnest,  fervent  prayer  to 
Almighty  God  for  liberty  and  light.  And  when,  through 
the  intervention  of  God,  the  chains  of  slavery  were  broken 
and  they  were  ushered  into  freedom  and  the  doors  of  op- 
portunity swung  open,  divine  impulse,  necessity,  novelty 
and  strong  desire  and  wise  counsel  led  them  promptly  to 
reach  out  and  take  firm  hold  upon  the  means  at  hand  and 
to  move  forward  in  the  way  of  religious,  educational,  patri- 
otic, material  and  economic  progress,  and  thus  to  remove 
themselves  as  rapidly  and  as  far  as  possible  from  the  old 
life  of  ignorance,  privation,  suffering  and  want. 

"Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God." 

The  fathers  and  mothers  and  their  immediate  children 


80  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

have  laid  the  foundation  well  and  made  commendable  and 
hopeful  progress. 

But  what  about  their  children,  What  about  the  pres- 
ent generation?  Do  they  give  bright  promise?  and  will 
they  make  good?  The  outlook  for  man  in  this  world  for 
doing  his  best  and  making  most  of  himself,  was  never 
brighter.  We  must  give  God  the  glory  for  this  bright  and 
splendid  outlook.  God's  claims  upon  the  race  and  upon 
mankind  for  faithful  service  were  never  stronger  than  they 
are  today. 

Statesmen,  seers  and  men  in  every  legitimate  line  of 
business  are  coming  more  and  more  to  see  and  believe  that 
the  lofty  principles  of  the  Bible,  the  divine  principles  enunci- 
ated and  taught  by  our  Lord  Jesus  are  the  only  principles 
that  will  solve  justly  and  rightly  and  truly  the  many  real 
and  trying  problems  of  this  life  in  their  relation  to  time  and 
eternity. 

The  true  Christian  and  faithful  follower  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  must  believe  this  with  all  his  heart,  soul,  mind  and 
strength.  Only  thus  can  he  be  what  he  should  be.  Only 
thus  can  he  discharge  his  full  duty  to  himself,  to  his  fel- 
lowman  and  his  God. 

The  truth  here  expressed  is  one  that  should  be  pon- 
dered much,  held  exceedingly  dear,  and  sought  by  untiring 
endeavor  by  Ethiopia,  by  Africa,  in  America  to  make  it  a 
genuine  reality  in  her  purpose  and  life. 

"Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God." 
Ethiopia,  Africa  in  America,  the  Negro,  is  now  in  the 
blazing  light  and  stirring  and  impelling  force  of  the  fulfill- 
ment of  this  divine  prophecy,  promise  and  appeal.  Hence 
it  stands  today  as  a  divine  command  to  the  race,  to  Ethiopia, 
to  Africa,  saying,  "Ethiopia,  race  of  Africa,  stretch  forth 
your  hands  with  mighty  energy  unto  God,  your  creator  and 
preserver  and  only  hope  for  time  and  eternity." 

The  momentous  question  is:  "Will  Ethiopia,  will  the 
Negro  as  a  race,  as  a  people,  respond  and  obey  this  divine 
prophecy,  promise,  appeal,  this  injunction?  What  is  essen- 
tial to  insure  obedience? 

"Seek  ye  the  Lord  while  He  may  be  found,  call  ye 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  81 

upon  Him  while  He  is  near."  "Today  is  the  day  of  salva- 
tion." 

"Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way  and  the  unrighteous 
man  his  thoughts,  and  let  him  return  unto  the  Lord,  and  He 
will  have  mercy  upon  him  and  to  our  God,  for  He  will  abun- 
dantly pardon."  The  truths  here  revealed  should  be  pro- 
foundly cherished  and  faithfully  practiced. 

There  is  much  in  the  history  of  the  African  race  in 
this  country  that  is  analogous  to  certain  phases  of  the  his- 
tory of  Israel. 

Israel  suffered  slavery  and  oppression  in  Egypt  and 
the  Negro  race  suffered  slavery  and  oppression  in  America. 
God  delivered  Israel  from  Egyptian  slavery  with  a  strong 
hand  and  outstretched  arm,  and  he  appealed  again  and  again 
to  this  dark  history  and  to  the  gratitude  and  loyalty  due 
to  this  gracious  and  marvelous  deliverance,  as  an  incentive 
and  motive  to  arouse,  stir,  persuade,  and  impel  them  to 
loyal  devotion  and  to  forward  and  faithful  movement  along 
the  lines  of  truth  and  righteousness. 

And  so,  in  the  deliverance  of  the  Colored  race,  the 
African  race,  from  American  slavery,  the  strong  hand  of 
God  and  His  outstretched  arm  of  providence  were  mighty 
in  their  workings,  and  strikingly  visible.  And  through  rea- 
son and  conscience  and  the  strength  of  analogy  and  through 
the  bountiful  benevolence  and  missionary  spirit  that 
prompted  generous  hearts  of  the  North  to  pour  out  their 
millions  and  to  send  hundreds  of  misisonaries  all  over  the 
Southland  to  teach  and  to  aid  in  building  churches,  schools 
and  colleges  for  the  education,  Christianizing  and  uplift  of 
the  race,  and  the  divine  providence  as  well,  which  prompted 
the  Caucasian  race  of  the  Southland  to  rise  above  prejudice 
and  to  open  up  and  support  a  system  of  State  schools  for  the 
education,  uplift  and  betterment  of  the  condition  of  the  race 
in  all  of  these  direct  and  overruling  divine  and  human 
providences,  the  mighty  voice  and  power  of  God  is  hearr! 
and  felt.  Yes,  verily,  God  has  been,  and  is,  and  will  con- 
tinue to  appeal  to  Ethiopia,  to  the  Negro  race  in  America 
through  the  sense  of  fear  arising  from  the  dark  history  of 
more  than  two  hundred  years  of  cruel  slavery,  and  through 


82  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

the  sense  of  profound  gratitude,  loyalty  and  faithful  serv- 
ice due  to  the  gracious  and  marvelous  deliverance  wrought 
for  the  race  and  the  marvelous  providences  made  for  its 
uplift  and  betterment  through  all  these  means,  God  has 
been  and  is  constantly  appealing  as  incentives  and  motives 
to  arouse,  stir,  persuade  and  impel  the  Negro  race  to  loyal 
devotion  and  earnest,  hearty,  faithful,  forward  movement 
along  the  line  of  Christian  progress,  righteousness  and 
truth.  Though  Israel  was  God's  elect,  God's  peculiar  peo- 
ple, and  to  stress  how  near  they  were  to  Him  and  how  highly 
favored  was  the  position  they  once  held  helds,  Jehovah  says : 
"The  Lord's  portion  in  His  people;  Jacob  is  the  Lot  of  His  in- 
heritance. He  found  him  in  a  desert  land  and  in  the  waste 
howling  wilderness  ;  He  led  him  about,  He  instructed  him,  He 
kept  him  as  the  apple  of  His  eye."  *  *  *  "So  the  Lord  alone 
did  lead  him  and  there  was  no  strange  God  with  him.  He 
made  him  ride  on  the  high  places  of  the  earth  that  he 
might  eat  the  increase  of  the  fields ;  and  He  made  him  to 
suck  honey  out  of  the  rock,  and  oil  out  of  the  flinty  rock." 

"But  Jeshurun  (Israel)  waxed  fat  and  kicked  *  *  * 
then  he  forsook  God  which  made  him,  and  lightly  esteemed 
the  rock  of  his  salvation."  Thus  Israel  in  their  moral  blind- 
ness and  sinful  depravity  trampled  all  the  rich  mercies  of 
God  under  their  feet,  rebelled  against  His  righteous  laws, 
became  steeped  in  iniquity  and  idolatry  and  slaves  to  the 
love  of  Mammon  and  so  fell  from  God's  grace,  were  carried 
away  into  captivity,  and  at  last  through  the  destruction  of 
Jerusalem  they  became  rejected  and  destroyed  as  an  organ- 
ized nation  and  church,  and  scattered  among  the  various 
Gentile  nations  of  the  earth. 

And  here  in  this  dispersion  among  the  Gentiles  without 
a  country,  and  characterized  in  prophecy  as  lost  and  a  val- 
ley of  dry  bones,  spiritually  dead,  Israel,  for  nearly  two 
thousand  years  has  been  allowed  to  suffer  in  various  ways 
more  severely  than  any  other  people  in  the  world.  "To 
whom  much  is  given  of  him  shall  much  be  required."  "He 
that  knoweth  the  law  and  doeth  it  not  shall  be  beaten  with 
many  stripes ;  but  he  that  knoweth  it  not  with  a  few." 

Israel  as  God's  elect  people  stand  as  a  beacon  light  and 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  33 

blazing  warning  to  all  the  world,  through  the  direct  reve- 
lations made  to  them,  the  prophecies  made  through  them 
and  fulfilled  in  them,  and  the  history  of  God's  dealings  of 
mercy  and  severity  with  them. 

If  these  people,  then,  the  children  of  Abraham,  of  such 
noble  heritage,  and  for  whom  God  did  so  much  in  so  many 
ways,  for  example,  miraculously  delivering  them  from  Egyp- 
tian bondage,  and  schooling  them  at  Sinai  in  the  moral, 
ceremonial  and  civil  laws  and  thus  organizing  them  as  an 
elect  nation,  and  miraculously  feeding  and  training  them  in 
the  wilderness  forty  years  and  finally  planting  them  as  a 
nation  in  a  land  flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  under  heaven 
made  laws  and  divinely  chosen  leaders,  failed  to  contend 
against  sin  and  successfully  to  resist  the  flesh,  the  world 
and  the  devil,  through  failure  to  watch  and  pray,  to  love 
God  supremely,  obey  him,  keep  his  precepts  and  command- 
ments and  to  love  their  neighbor  as  themselves1 — if  this 
people  thus  failed  and  were  rejected  and  abolished  as  an 
organized  church  and  nation  and  cast  out  of  Jehovah's  sight 
and  buried  among  heathen  nations  to  suffer  for  untold  cen- 
turies in  this  life  and  in  unmeasured  intensity,  and  millions, 
perhaps,  to  be  lost  and  ruined  through  all  eternity ;  what 
right,  ground  or  hope  has  any  people  less  favored  by  natu- 
ral heritage,  and  special  divine  grace,  and  less  devout  and 
beneficent  in  service,  and  less  resolute  and  persistent  in  bat- 
tling against  the  flesh,  the  world  and  the  devil,  for  believing, 
ex'pecting  and  hoping  for  God's  special  favor,  if  they  fail  to 
profit  by  all  the  past ;  and  to  seize  opportunity,  and  to  yield 
to  the  quickening  and  illuminating  light  and  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  the  Living  Word  and  the  principles,  examples 
and  precepts  of  Jesus,  and  thus  prove  devout,  loyal,  persis- 
tent and  faithful  soldiers  and  servants  of  the  cross  ?  What 
reason,  right  or  ground  have  they  for  believing,  expecting 
or  hoping  that  God's  dealing  with  them  will  be  any  less  ter- 
rible, dreadful  and  severe  than  it  was  with  Israel?  None 
whatever. 

Like  the  Jew  for  the  last  nineteen  centuries,  the  Negro 
in  America,  in  the  world  for  that  matter,  is  without  a  coun- 
try, that  is,  he  has  no  great,  strong  civilized  nation  of  his 


84  ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER  LIFE 

own  race  to  enter  into  treaty  relations  with  other  nations, 
thus  to  invest  him  with  increased  dignity  and  to  furnish  him 
greater  protection  of  body,  property  and  of  life.  Hence 
from  every  viewpoint  the  Negro  in  America,  the  Negro  needs 
to  get  right  and  stay  right  with  God.  "For  if  God  be  for 
us  who  can  be  against  us  ?"  And  if  we  be  for  God  and  re- 
main loyal  and  true  to  Him  we  need  never  fear;  for  as  in 
the  case  of  Elisha  and  his  servant  at  Dothan,  they  that  will 
be  with  us  as  our  defenders  will  be  more  than  they  that  will 
be  with  our  enemies.  2  Kings  6:16.  Every  consideration 
or  reason  having  to  do  with  the  true  progress,  usefulness 
and  well  being  of  the  race,  both  in  time  and  eternity,  argues 
with  one  hundred  per  cent  force  that  the  unquestionable 
and  unfailing  duty  and  the  anchoring  and  eternally  saving 
hope  of  the  individual  members  and  of  the  race  as  a  whole 
lies  along  the  pathway  of  righteousness,  of  consecrated  devo- 
tion to  God,  through  saving  belief  in  Jesus  as  the  Son  of 
God  and  the  world's  Savior,  and  through  persevering  in  His 
service  till  divinely  summoned  from  labor  to  reward. 

Here  lies  the  path  of  all  that  is  truly  good,  eternally 
safe,  elevated  and  worth  while.  Here  lies  the  royal  path 
of  life  where  the  Negro  as  a  race  will  find  the  least  opposi- 
tion from  man  and  the  greatest  encouragement.  Here  lies 
the  path  along  which  he  can  most  rapidly  and  assuredly 
mend  his  ways,  rise  above  the  dark  past,  acquire  influence, 
destroy  prejudice,  win  the  goodwill  of  mankind,  become  de- 
sirable citizens,  enlist  heaven's  aid  and  enjoy  heaven's 
smiles,  escape  the  snares  of  the  devil,  overcome  carnal  weak- 
nesses, honor  father  and  mother  and  glorify  God. 

"Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God." 
Will  the  younger  generation  of  the  Negro  race  in  Amer- 
ica follow  the  path  of  religious  zeal,  devotion  and  growth 
along  which  their  fathers  have  trod  and  rise  as  much  higher 
and  become  as  much  stronger  in  the  great  principles  of  the 
religion  of  the  triune  God  as  the  light  they  have  is  brighter 
and  their  opportunities  are  greater? 

It  is  their  privilege  and  duty,  but  will  they  ?    Their  own 
individual  needs  and  the  world's  needs  demand  it;  but  will 
they  ?    The  weight  of  their  increased  responsibility  demand 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  85 

it;  but  will  they  do  it?  The  duty  which  they  owe  to  their 
primitive  mother  land,  Africa,  demand  it;  but  will  they 
catch  the  vision,  foster  the  sentiment,  rise  to  the  height  of 
the  occasion  and  please  heaven  and  earth  by  making  good  ? 
From  the  character  of  the  reports  coming  in  from  a  large 
portion  of  the  leaders  of  the  race  in  the  fields  of  the  home 
development,  public  school  teaching,  Christian  evangelism, 
and  Christian  teaching,  in  the  higher  schools  and  Sunday 
Schools,  there  is  demand  that  much  careful  and  prayerful 
study  be  given  them. 

These  reports  clearly  indicate  that  the  children  in  the 
homes  of  the  race  are  showing  less  reverence  for  parents, 
less  respect  for  the  laws  and  rules  of  the  home  and  are  less 
disposed  to  move  promptly  and  to  do  faithfully  and  well 
what  they  are  told  to  do  than  was  true  of  the  children  of 
the  homes  of  the  race  thirty  or  forty  years  ago;  besides 
there  is  less  co-operation  on  the  part  of  parents  among 
themselves  for  the  more  effective  training  of  their  children. 

In  the  work  of  public  school  instruction  and  government, 
the  same  declension  is  apparent  and  similar  complaint  is 
heard;  that  the  children  show  less  reverence  for  teachers 
and  for  truth  and  for  law  and  rules  and  hence  are  harder 
to  control  and  to  bring  under  proper  discipline  than  were 
those  of  a  generation  earlier.  This  in  part  is  a  natural 
result  of  the  failure  in  the  home.  When  we  enter  the 
higher  realm  of  the  Christian  religion  similar  reports  are 
heard.  The  complaints  are  that  the  young  (people  of  the 
present  generation  are  becoming  less  sincere,  less  inclined 
to  heed  good  counsel,  less  devout,  that  they  do  not  seem  to 
find  the  joy  and  comfort  in  religion  that  their  fathers  and 
mothers  found,  that  they  are  manifesting  less  reverence  for 
God,  for  the  Gospel,  for  religious  services  and  holy  things, 
that  in  fact,  they  are  becoming  decidedly  more  worldly,  more 
carried  away  with  a  craze  for  dancing,  card  playing,  worldly 
pleasure  and  a  good  time  in  general  in  worldly  affairs. 

These  reports,  doubtless,  should  be  received  with  much 
allowance.  But  after  all  is  said  and  done  there  is  in  them 
enough  truth  to  furnish  alarm  and  to  serve  as  timely  warn- 
ing.   Indeed  the  facts  of  the  case,  the  situation  is  a  sten- 


86  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

torian  call  from  earth  and  heaven  to  the  leaders  of  the 
race,  to  the  fathers  and  mothers,  teachers  and  Gospel  min- 
isters and  the  business  leaders  of  the  race,  to  rally  and 
organize  to  stem  the  tide. 

The  call  of  earth  and  heaven  is  that  the  fathers  and 
mothers  of  the  different  communities  must  organize  among 
themselves  and  co-operate  for  the  more  efficient  training  of 
their  children;  parents  must  be  urged  with  all  reasonable 
argument  and  entreaty  to  accept  and  fully  live  up  to  the 
responsibilities  of  the  home.  Between  teachers  and  parents 
there  must  be  hearty  and  Christian  co-operation  to  secure 
in  the  lives  of  the  children  the  full  fruits  of  the  purpose 
and  work  of  the  schools. 

Among  parents,  teachers,  Gospel  ministers,  Sunday 
School  workers,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Y.  W.  C.  A.  and  other 
Christian  and  community  workers  there  should  be  and  must 
be  most  hearty,  zealous  and  unflagging  co-operation  to  train 
up  the  children  in  every  line  of  duty  in  the  way  they 
should  go. 

This  can  be  done  ;this  should  be  done;  this  must  be 
done,  if  we  are  to  catch  the  true  vision  of  life's  mission,  to 
arouse  and  foster  reasonable  race  consciousness,  pride,  affin- 
ity and  unity ;  stem  the  tide,  turn  the  life  currents  of  the 
race  strongly  along  the  royal  path  of  life,  realize  in  a  large 
way  the  fruition  of  the  prophecy  and  promise  of  the  text; 
and  thus  standing  firm  upon  the  Rock  Christ  Jesus  and 
His  infallible  word  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
to  grow  in  grace  and  into  that  blessed  state  where  God 
shall  have  the  first  place  in  our  life  and  thought,  where  we 
shall  love  Him  supremely  and  our  neighbor  as  ourself  and 
where  we  shall  be  able  to  love  our  enemies  and  pray  fer- 
vently for  those  who  despitef ully  use  us  and  persecute  us ; 
and  thus  possess  good  will  toward  all  men  and  finally  receive 
the  well-done  of  heaven. 

"Ethiopia  shall  soon  stretch  out  her  liana's  unto  God." 
Young  men  and  young  women  of  the  race,  boys  and 
girls,  young  mothers  and  fathers,  young  teachers  and  lead- 
ers of  the  race,  this  divine  prophecy,  promise  and  appeal 
is  to  you.    Will  you  heed  it?    Will  you  struggle  to  realize 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  87 

its  promise  and  enjoy  its  fruition?  Will  you  watch  and 
pray  and  cultivate  good-will  and  struggle  to  lift  yourselves 
and  the  race  out  of  the  slough,  the  mire  of  despond  into  the 
lifting  and  saving  atmosphere  of  divine  inspiration  and 
growth  ?  Will  you  cultivate  and  cherish  profound  belief  in 
Jesus  Christ  as  the  Son  of  God  and  the  world's  Savior  ?  and 
strive  to  love  God  supremely  and  your  neighbor  as  your- 
selves? Will  you  watch,  pray  and  endeavor  to  teach,  in- 
culcate and  lead  the  race  of  Africa  in  America  and  through 
them,,  also  the  race  in  Africa  to  cherish  profound  faith  in 
God  the  Father  and  in  His  only  Son,  Jesus  our  Lord,  and  in 
the  Holy  Ghost  as  the  Comforter  ?  and  thus  become  blessed 
yourselves  and  prove  a  blessing  to  the  race  and  become  a 
factor  in  fitting  the  race  to  become  a  blessing  to  the  world 
of  mankind  ?  Will  you  watch  and  pray  and  endeavor  to  keep 
a  loving  and  faithful  oversight  over  the  homes,  public 
schools  and  higher  schools  of  the  race  in  which  the  children 
and  leaders  of  the  race  are  in  training  and  over  the  work 
of  the  churches,  as  those  possessing  race  consciousness, 
race  pride  and  affinity,  patriotism  and  Christian  devotion, 
that  under  God  you  may  become  and  prove  to  be  real  and 
important  factors  in  leading  the  race  in  a  large  way  to  rea- 
lize the  prophecy,  promise  and  appeal  of  the  text  and  thus 
to  come  into  the  possession  of  the  gracious  favor  and  pro- 
tection of  Jehovah  and  to  move  along  the  royal  path  of 
life  and  thus  to  accomplish  the  surest  and  truest  and  only 
enduring  progress  for  time  and  eternity? 

If  you  will,  you  can.  If  you  fail  as  with  Israel,  awful 
will  be  the  calamity  and  suffering  in  time  and  unspeakable 
the  woe  in  eternity.  But  you  will  not  fail,  you  dare  not  fail, 
you  must  not  fail.  Let  your  motto  be  that  of  Joshua:  "But 
as  for  me  and  my  house  we  will  serve  the  Lord,"  and  that 
of  Ruth  1:16-17,  and  that  of  Paul,  Phil.  3:13-14. 
GOD  HELPING  ME  I  WILL. 


A  BACCALAUREATE  SERMON  DELIVERED  TO  THE 
GRADUATING  CLASS  OF  LYNCHBURG  THEO- 
LOGICAL SEMINARY  AND  COLLEGE 
IN  THE  SPRING  OF  1895 

Text:  In  the  morning  sow  thy  seed  and  in  the  even- 
ing withhold  not  thine  hand :  for  thou  knowest  not  whether 
shall  prosper  either  this  or  that  or  whether  they  both 
shall  be  alike  good. — Eccl.  11:6. 

SUBJECT:     A   DILIGENT  AND   COMPLETE   LIFE   OF 
WELL  DOING 

Young  Ladies  and  Young  Men,  Class  of  1895: 

These  are  beautiful  words,  beautiful  in  sound,  in  sym- 
bol, in  thought,  in  the  ideas  they  picture  to  the  mind ;  but 
they  are  most  beautiful  in  the  deep,  rich  truths  which  they 
are  designed  to  vivify,  emphasize,  inculcate  and  impress 
upon  the  mind,  heart  and  lives  of  mankind. 

The  message  contained  in  these  words  is  deeply  signifi- 
cant ;  because  of  the  infinite  power  of  Jehovah,  the  author, 
and  because  of  the  wisdom,  experience,  and  divine  inspira- 
tion of  the  human  personality,  Solomon,  through  whom  it 
pleased  God  to  deliver  the  message,  and  because  of  the  ex- 
alted misison  of  the  people  to  whom  primarily  it  was  de- 
livered, the  Jews,  God's  elect  nation,  and  because  of  its 
far-reaching  and  extensive  application,  being  applicable  to 
the  children  of  men  through  all  the  passing  centuries. 

Let  us  think  of  this  heavenly  mesage,  this  morning, 
as  coming  directly  from  Almighty  God,  through  His  inspired 
servant,  Solomon,  to  you  and  to  me,  but  to  you  especially 
as  a  class  just  about  to  enter  upon  your  commencement  in 
life. 

The  divine  message  and  injunction  to  you  is:  "In  the 
morning  sow  thy  seed,  and  in  the  evening  withhold  not 
thine  hand:  for  thou  knowest  not  whether  shall  prosper, 
either  this  or  that,  or  whether  they  both  shall  be  alike  good." 

This  message  is  not  only  far-reaching  and  extensive; 
but  it  is  comprehensive  and  practical.     It  applies  to  boys 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  89 

and  girls,  men  and  women,  young  and  old.  It  applies  to 
every  species,  form  or  element  of  man's  complex  being,  his 
physical,  mental,  moral  and  spiritual  being  of  life. 

The  author,  in  order  to  emphasize  and  force  home  the 
main  lesson  of  the  text — that  of  diligence  in  well-doing 
throughout  life,  makes  choice,  in  mental  conception,  of  the 
fundamental  occupation  and  the  familiar  figure  and  essential 
servant,  the  farmer,  in  action,  sowing  his  seed.  The  author 
of  the  text  was  a  practical  man,  a  careful  observer.  He 
used  his  eyes  and  his  mind,  he  saw  objects  and  actions  and 
analyzed  them  and  comprehended  their  meaning.  He  was  a 
teacher  able  and  experienced.  He  knew  the  occupations 
and  the  customs  of  the  people.  He  knew  their  good  quali- 
ties and  their  shortcomings  and  weaknesses. 

He  knew  that  the  ideal  farmer  in  seedtime  rises  and 
begins  sowing  his  seed  in  the  early  morning  and  that  he 
slacks  not  his  hand  in  the  evening  but  perseveres  with 
diligence  through  to  the  close  of  the  day. 

On  the  other  hand,  he  knew  that  there  are  many  among 
farmers  and  those  of  all  other  callings  and  professions  of 
life,  who  are  good  starters,  who  begin  well,  who  will  rise 
early  and  start  at  a  rapid  pace  but  as  the  sun  declines  to- 
wards the  west  they  grow  weary,  slack  their  hand,  become 
indifferent,  excuse  themselves  on  the  ground  of  what  they 
have  done,  and  thus  allow,  in  the  course  of  days,  weeks, 
months  and  years,  many  precious  days,  weeks,  months  and 
even  years  to  be  wasted,  and  the  life  in  so  many  ways  to 
count  very  much  less  than  it  should,  and  to  fall  away  below 
the  ideal. 

In  view  of  these  truths,  these  human  weaknesses  and 
pressing  needs  of  being  instructed,  aroused  and  stirred  to 
diligence  and  perseverance  in  well-doing,  Solomon,  from  his 
vantage  ground,  as  king  of  God's  people,  and  God's  servant, 
takes  the  ideal  farmer,  sowing  early  and  sowing  late,  sow- 
ing diligently,  faithfully  and  sowing  in  hope,  sowing  his  seed 
that  contain  life,  that  shall  spring  up,  bear  fruit  and  bring 
forth  a  harvest  that  shall  bless  him  and  his  fellowman — he 
takes  this  ideal  farmer  and  ideal  action  and  holds  them  up 
before  the  world  of  mankind  to  arouse,  stimulate  and  stir 


90  ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER  LIFE 

boys  and  girls,  men  and  women  to  ideal  service  and  action 
in  every  phase  of  life  and  along  all  the  lines  of  duty. 

Let  us  notice  briefly  some  duties  we  owe  to  ourselves, 
to  our  physical,  mental,  moral  and  spiritual  or  religious 
lives. 

Our  bodies,  individually  and  physically  speaking,  are 
the  gift  of  God  and  are  designed  to  be  the  temples  of  God. 
It  is  my  duty  and  your  duty  to  keep  the  body  healthy. 
"Health  is  first  wealth."  A  healthy  body  is  the  foundation 
of  a  healthy  and  strong  development.  We  owe  it  not  alone 
to  ourselves  individually,  but  to  our  families,  our  neighbors, 
the  community,  the  State,  the  nation,  the  world. 

The  mind,  the  intellctual  life,  must  be  developed  and 
improved.  Says  one,  "There  is  nothing  great  in  the  uni- 
verse but  man  and  nothing  great  in  man  hut  mind;"  and 
another  "The  mind  is  the  eyesight  of  the  soul;"  another, 
"The  mind  is  the  atmosphere  of  the  soul."  Without  vision 
the  people  perish.  Man  as  important  in  prompting  and 
stimulating  him  to  do  his  best  needs  that  enlarged  vision 
and  quickening  inspiration  that  come  from  a  well-trained, 
capacious  and  a  well-stored  mind  with  living,  uplifting 
truths. 

But  morality  or  the  moral  life  must  be  watched  and 
molded  with  great  care  and  fervent  prayer,  for  the  moral 
life  is  a  round  higher  in  the  ladder  of  human  development, 
human  progress.  Says  one,  "Morality  is  the  vestibule  of 
religion."  "Morality  is  essential  to  good  government." 
"What  can  laws  do  without  morals?"  Says  Dr.  Horace 
Mann,  "Ten  men  have  failed  from  defect  in  morals  where 
one  has  failed  from  defect  in  intellect."  Without  enlighten- 
ing the  conscience  and  strengthening  the  moral  sense  and 
moral  obligation  you  can't  become  good  brothers  and  sis- 
ters, good  companions,  good  teachers,  good  neighbors,  good 
husbands  and  wives,  good  fathers  and  mothers,  good  citizens. 

This  brings  us  to  consider  the  spiritual  life,  the  Chris- 
tian religious  life,  which  forms  the  climax  of  human  devel- 
opment, advance  and  progress.  While  it  is  the  duty  of  each 
both  in  the  morning  and  evening  of  the  day  and  of  life  to 
watch  and  guard  and  preserve  and  develop  the  health  of  the 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  91 

body,  to  cultivate,  enlarge  and  enrich  the  mind  and  to  en- 
lighten and  strengthen  the  moral  sense,  yet  it  is  the 
spiritual  life  that  brings  us  into  the  family  of  God,  links 
us  with  all  that  is  brightest  and  best  in  eternity. 

It  is  here  man's  first  and  highest  duties  lie.  "Thou 
shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with 
all  thy  soul  and  with  all  thy  might."  "And  thou  shalt  love 
thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  "Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of 
God  and  His  righteousness,"  and  we  have  the  promise  that 
all  necessary  temporal  blessings  shall  be  added. 

"Bodily  exercise  profiteth  little,  but  Godliness  is  profit- 
able unto  all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life  that  now  is 
and  of  that  which  is  to  come."  "Remember  thy  Creator  in 
the  days  of  thy  youth." 

"Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  thou  shalt  be 
saved."  It  is  by  belief  in  Jesus  as  the  Son  of  God  that  one 
is  born  unto  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  comes  into  possession 
of  spiritual  life  and  has  communion  and  fellowship  with  the 
triune  God  and  His  loyal,  faithful  servants  and  is  prepared 
to  sow  the  good  seed  of  which  Jesus  spoke  that  fell  into 
good  ground  and  brought  forth  some  an  hundred  fold. 


BACCALAUREATE  SERMON  DELIVERED  TO  THE 

GRADUATING     CLASS     OF    THE     CAIRO 

HIGH   SCHOOL,    CAIRO,    ILL.,    IN 

THE  SPRING  OF  1901 

Text :  "Therefore  whosoever  heareth  these  sayings  of 
mine  and  doeth  them  I  will  liken  him  unto  a  wise  man 
which  built  his  house  upon  a  rock." — Matt.  7:24. 

SUBJECT:     BUILDING  FOR  TIME  AND  ETERNITY 

The  words  of  the  text  form  a  part  of  the  conclusion 
of  the  greatest  sermon  ever  preached  upon  this  earth.  It 
was  preached  upon  a  memorable  occasion.  It  was  preached 
to  a  unique  company  of  men  under  preparation  for  most 
exalted  service.  It  was  preached  by  the  greatest  being 
who  ever  tabernacled  in  human  flesh,  or  whose  footsteps 
ever  pressed  the  surface  of  this  earth,  or  whose  precious 
blood  was  ever  shed  in  evidence  of  ardent  love  for  man- 
kind. It  was  preached  to  crystallize  for  all  time  some  of 
the  richest  and  most  essential  truths  that  have  ever  con- 
tributed to,  or  entered  into  the  well-being  of  mankind. 

Among  the  many  beautiful,  deeply  significant  and 
weighty  truths  therein  found  are  the  cardinal  and  momen- 
tous truth  and  message  contained  in  the  words  chosen  as 
the  basis  of  principles  we  hope  to  emphasize,  and  lessons 
we  hope  to  teach  and  instructions  we  hope  to  give,  this 
afternoon  to  this  class  of  1901  and  to  this  assembled  audi- 
ence. 

The  subject  is: 

BUILDING  FOR  TIME  AND  ETERNITY. 

Life  is  a  great  gift  and  it  has  a  lofty  mission.  Man 
is  made  in  the  image  of  God,  the  crowning  work  of  creation. 
He  was  and  is  endowed  with  an  immortal  soul,  containing 
faculties  of  wonderful  possibilities  and  grave  responsibilities. 

Hence  in  view  of  what  man  is  in  his  being,  in  his  en- 
dowments, in  his  relations  and  in  his  mission,  it  is  clear  that 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  93 

life  is  deeply  and  profoundly  significant  and  the  proper 
solution  of  life  is  a  very  solemn  and  weighty  problem. 

It  becomes  the  bounden  duty  of  man  then  to  make  a 
broad  and  careful  survey  of  life. 

He  should  survey  life  from  a  retrospective  view,  a  pro- 
spective view,  and  from  its  daily  evolutions.  He  should 
ponder  life  frequently,  deeply  and  long.  He  should  ponder 
it  faithfully  and  prayerfully  in  his  efforts  to  comprehend 
its  meaning,  and  measure  its  claims  and  value. 

He  should  use  the  God  appointed  means.  He  should 
pray  much  for  God's  favor  and  the  proper  frame  of  mind 
for  profound  and  lasting  impressions.  He  should  read 
much  and  study  the  word  of  God  as  quick  and  powerful, 
and  as  a  lamp  unto  his  feet  and  a  light  upon  his  path.  He 
should  study  history,  profane,  natural  and  sacred.  He 
should  study  the  natural  sciences,  the  ologies.  He  should 
study  everything  that  throws  light  upon  life,  its  relations, 
responsibilities,  duties,  misison  and  destinies. 

God  is  the  author  of  all  being  in  its  different  forms, 
and  the  laws  governing  the  same.  All  nature  in  some  way 
throws  light  upon  God  our  Maker  and  Preserver,  and  upon 
our  relations,  duties,  and  responsibilities  to  our  fellowmen 
and  to  Jehovah.  "The  heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God 
and  the  firmament  showeth  his  handiwork." 

But  the  light  from  nature  was  not  sufficient,  so  God 
gave  to  mankind  a  special  revelation. 

The  builder  needs  a  model,  the  sailor  needs  a  chart, 
Jesus  Christ  is  our  model,  the  word  of  God  is  our  chart. 

Hence  the  words:  "Therefore,  whosoever  heareth 
these  sayings  of  mine  and  doeth  them,  I  will  liken  him  unto 
a  wise  man  which  built  his  house  upon  a  Rock,"  are  deeply 
significant  and  contain  essential  instruction.  They  are  a 
voice  from  heaven,  the  voice  of  God,  the  author  of  our  be- 
ing, the  Lamb  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world  for 
our  redemption  and  salvation.  He  declares  we  must  hear 
and  heed  His  teaching  and  build  according  to  His  counsel, 
according  to  His  will,  and  that  they  who  thus  build,  build 
wisely,  safely  and  surely,  build  for  time  and  eternity. 

Now,  young  people,  class  of  1901,  I  am  proud  to  be 


94  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

able  to  say  that  by  your  profession  and  I  am  persuaded  by 
your  possession  you  have  begun  right,  wisely  and  well.  In  the 
sublime  sermon  by  the  unique  Christ  are  words,  "Seek  ye 
first  the  Kingdom  of  God  and  His  righteousness  and  all 
these  things  shall  be  added  unto  you."  In  part  at  least  you 
have  been  obedient  to  the  divine  injunction.  You  have 
sought  and  found  the  Savior.  You  have  entered  into  that 
spiritual  state.  You  have  linked  your  life  with  the  glo- 
rious life  of  eternity. 

For  these  things  we  are  proud  of  you,  we  commend 
you,  we  congratulate,  we  praise  you,  we  bid  you  God  speed. 

And,  too,  there  is  another  line  along  which  you  are 
well-begun.  Says  the  inspired  sage,  natural  offspring  of 
David:  "A  wise  man  will  hear  and  will  increase  learning, 
and  a  man  of  undertaking  shall  attain  unto  wise  counsel." 
"And  in  all  thy  getting  get  wisdom  and  understanding." 

Now  for  a  number  of  years  you  have  been  engaged  in 
study.  You  have  been  obeying  the  law  of  your  being,  the 
law  of  the  universe,  you  have  been  growing.  You  have 
been  developing,  disciplining  and  training  the  powers  of 
your  mind,  and  of  your  soul.  All  this  is  in  line  of  building, 
of  preparedness  for  service. 

You  are  about  to  enter  upon  your  commencement.  The 
motto,  "finished,  but  just  begun,"  fits  your  situation  well. 

The  great  law  of  life  is  service.  With  many  the  idea 
of  servant  is  unpopular.  But  Jesus  says :  Whosoever  would 
be  great  in  his  kingdom  let  him  serve;  and  he  that  would 
be  chief  let  him  become  servant   of  all." 


BACCALAUREATE    SERMON    DELIVERED    TO    THE 
GRADUATING    CLASS    OF    1909,    OF    BLUE- 
FIELD,  W.  VA.,  JUNE  6,  1909 

Text:  "Be  strong  therefore  and  show  thyself  a  man." 
1  Kings  2:2. 

"The  world's  great  need  is  a  better  man,  better  women, 
better  manhood,  better  womanhood." 

There  are  many  things  that  become  associated  with 
words  in  such  a  way  as  to  give  to  them  special  significance. 
Such  is  true  of  the  word  which  I  have  selected  as  the 
basis  of  what  I  shall  have  to  say  to  you  as  the  graduating 
class  of  1909,  and  to  this  audience  as  well. 

These  words  were  uttered  many  centuries  ago,  more 
than  one  thousand  years  before  the  Christian  era.  They 
were  uttered  by  a  man  who  had  inherited  well,  who  was 
old  in  years,  full  of  experience,  the  father  of  many  children, 
exalted  in  station,  the  king  of  an  elect  people1,  devout  in 
service,  a  man  of  large  achievements  both  in  state  and 
church  affairs,  and  was  now  at  the  very  gateway  of  depart- 
ure out  of  this  life  into  the  paradise  of  God.  From  this 
vantage  ground  with  a  flood  of  light  flowing  into  his  soul 
from  a  retrospective  and  prospective  view  of  life  and  feel- 
ing all  the  weight  of  exalted  station,  he  uttered  th-ese  sol- 
emn words  to  his  son,  "I  go  the  way  of  all  the  earth:  be 
thou  strong  therefore,  and  show  thyself  a  man." 

All  through  the  Holy  Scriptures  man  is  used  as  a 
generic  term  including  both  sexes  the  male  man  and  the 
female  man,   in  other  words,  man  and  woman. 

Hence  in  the  text  of  our  choice  we  shall  think  of  it  and 
speak  of  it  as  sufficiently  comprehensive  to  include  both 
men  and  women. 

Now  young  men  and  young  women,  members  of  the 
class  of  1909,  I  would  like  to  have  you  think  of  yourselves 
and  regard  yourselves  as  occupying  that  relation  and  atti- 
tude toward  God  and  men  as  was  true  of  Solomon  at  the 
time  these  solemn  words  were  addressed  to  him.  And  thus 
regarding  yourselves,  I  would  like  to  have  you  think  of 
these  words  addressed  from  God  through  the  lips  of  David 


96  ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER  LIFE 

directly  to  you:  "I  go  the  way  of  all  the  earth:  be  thou 
strong,  therefore,  and  show  thyself  a  man,"  or  show  thy- 
selves  men  virtuous,  true,  aspiring,  patient,  persevering, 
faithful,  devout,  patriotic,  friendly,  courageous.  Remember 
that  the  world's  great  need  is  a  better  man,  better  woman. 

Now,  young  men  and  young  women,  I  am  glad  that  your 
course  of  conduct  puts  me  in  position  to  say  that  you  have 
been  and  are  on  the:  right  road  to  help  to  supply  this  great 
need  of  the  world. 

You  have  been  engaged  for  a  number  of  years  in  devel- 
oping, disciplining  and  training  the  faculties  and  powers  of 
your  body,  mind  and  soul.  This  is  in  line  with  wisdom.  It 
rests  on  the  eternal  verities.  The  Word  of  God  says:  "As 
a  man  thinketh  in  his  heart,  so  is  he."  We  know  that 
among  the  Hebrews,  in  Bible  times,  it  was  customary  to 
think  and  speak  of  the  heart  as  we  now  think  and  speak 
of  the  mind  as  the  seat  of  thought,  reason,  understanding. 
"As  a  man  thinketh  in  his  heart,  so  is  he."  Bacon  says, 
"there  is  nothing  great  in  the  universe  but  man,  and  noth- 
ing great  in  man  but  mind,"  or  soul.  It  is  here  that  we 
look  for  the  imaee  of  God,  that  eternal  nrincinle,  or  per- 
sonality that  thinks,  feels,  forms  judgment^,  discriminates 
between  right  and  wrong,  is  progressive  and  in  its  moral 
nature  or  state  loves  knowledge,  aspires  after  things  pure, 
beautiful,  elevating  and  lofty,  approves  the  good,  and  con- 
demns and  rejects  the  bad. 

In  this  course  of  conduct,  in  this  h'ne  of  development 
and  training,  like  Abraham  of  sacred  history  and  father  of 
the  faithful,  you  are  being  blest  yourselves  and  becoming 
prepared  to  be  a  blessing  to  others. 

As  in  nature  everywhere  there  are  choice  blessings 
that  were  stored  up  there  centuries  a°ro,  and  as  man  has  had 
need  of  them  they  have  been  vieldinor  up  their  rich  fruits 
to  satisfy  his  every  want.  And  as  it  is  true  that  over  more 
than  half  the  globe  daily  there  are  processes  operating  in 
nature,  taking  inorganic  matter  and  putting  it  on  the  plane 
of  organic  matter  where  it  is  prepared  to  be  and  is  blessing 
mankind  every  day,  yes,  every  hour  and  every  moment. 
So  in  like  manenr  you  young  men,  you  young  women,  every 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  97 

day,  month  and  year,  by  systematic  study  and  faithful  en- 
deavor, have  been  developing  discipling  and  training  facul- 
ties, acquiring  power  and  knowledge,  and  coming  into  pos- 
session of  light,  wisdom,  and  other  elevating  qualities  of 
mind,  heart  and  life  that  fit  you  like  the  dews  of  heaven 
to  distill  blessings  upon  mankind. 

This  brings  us  back  to  our  subject,  the  world's  great 
need  of  a  better  man,  better  woman,  better  manhood,  better 
womanhood. 

But  this  better  manhood  and  better  womanhood  ex- 
presses itself  in  many  forms  or  qualities,  in  many  ways, 
along  many  lines  in  reference  to  many  things. 

One  of  the  ways  in  which  it  manifests  itself  and  that 
very  significantly  is  in  power,  physical,  intellectual,  moral, 
spiritual,  political,  civil,  social,  financial  power. 


A     TEMPERANCE     SERMON     DELIVERED     BEFORE 

A  S.  S.  WOMEN'S  AND  MENS  CONVENTION  IN 

MURRAY,  KENTUCKY,  SEPT  29,  1905 

Text:  Prov.  20:1;  Jer.  35:6;  Psalms  37:37. 

In  this  sermon  on  temperance,  while  I  shall  speak  some- 
what of  temperance  in  all  things  and  shall  strive  to  empha- 
size and  urge  the  importance  of  the  same,  yet  the  gist,  core, 
and  burden  of  what  I  shall  have  to  say  shall  be  concerning 
temperance  or  total  abstinence  from  the  use  of  alcoholic 
or  intoxicating  liquors  as  a  beverage. 

Intemperance  in  the  use  and  abuse  of  alcoholic  or  intox- 
icating liquors  as  a  beverage  has  become  so  prevalent,  so 
widespread  and  such  a  gigantic  and  monstrous  evil,  in  the 
home,  the  State,  the  nation,  the  church  and  in  the  world, 
that  it  has  almost  exclusively  appropriated  the  idea  con- 
tained in  the  word  temperance. 

So  that  whenever  we  speak  of  a  temperance  sermon, 
lecture  or  temperance  campaign,  we  at  once  understand  it 
to  be  a  sermon  lecture  or  campaign  against  the  use  and  abuse 
of  alcoholic  or  intoxicating  liquors  as  a  beverage,  or  against 
the  evil  of  intoxicating  liquors  in  every  form. 

The  Scripture  texts  selected  as  a  basis  of  what  I  shall 
have  to  say  first  gives  us  heaven's  declaration  of  the  per- 
nicious character  of  intoxicating  liquors,  the  insanity  of 
those  who  indulge  in  the  use  of  them  as  beverages,  that  is 
as  mere  pleasurable  drinks,  and  gives  us  heaven's  warning 
against  the  use  of  intoxicating  liquors  as  drinks.  Secondly, 
there  is  furnished  us  the.  beautiful  example  of  the  Rechabites 
in  their  loyal,  faithful,  steadfast  obedience  to  the  instruc- 
tion of  their  father  Jonadab. 

The  sacred  record  tells  us:  "The  Word  came  unto 
Jeremiah  from  the  Lord,  saying,  Go  unto  the  house  of 
the  Rechabites,  and  speak  unto  them,  and  bring  them  unto 
the  house  of  the  Lord,  into  one  of  the  chambers  and  give 
them  wine  to  drink.  This  instruction  was  carried  out. 
There  was  set  before  the  whole  company  of  the  Rechabites, 
ipots  full  of  wine  and  cups,  and  they  were  invited  to  drink. 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  99 

"But  they  said,  We  will  drink  no  wine,"  "for  Jonadab  the 
son  of  Rechab  our  father  commanded  us,  saying,  Ye  shall 
drink  no  wine,  neither  ye,  nor  your  sons  for  ever."  *  *  * 
"Thus  have  we  obeyed  the  voice  of  Jonadab  the  son  of 
Rechab  our  father  in  all  that  he  hath  charged  us,  to  drink 
no  wine  all  our  days,  we,  our  wives,  our  sons,  nor  our  daugh- 
ters." This  beautiful  example  of  the  Rechabites  by  Jeho- 
vah through  his  servant  Jeremiah  is  spread  before  the  Jews 
or  Judah  to  shame  them  and  condemn  their  rank  disobedi- 
ence to  God's  repeated  and  most  solemn  and  urgent  com- 
mands. In  like  manner  it  is  intended  as  wholesome  instruc- 
tion to  mankind  through  all  the  centuries. 

The  words  of  Psalms  37:37,  "Mark  the  perfect  man 
and  behold  the  upright;  for  the  end  of  that  man  is  peace!" 
are  used  so  often  in  funeral  sermons  and  services  of  the 
dead  that  it  may  seem  strange  to  use  them  as  a  text  for  a 
temperance  sermon. 

But  we  want  you  to  think  at  this  hour  and  in  these 
days  much  of  crucifixion,  death  and  burial. 

The  taste  and  desire  for  intoxicating  liquors  and  the 
habit  of  of  drinking  them,  by  every  sensible  person  ought 
to  be  fought  to  the  death.  True  temperance  means  the 
death  and  burial  of  many  evil  passions,  appetites,  desires 
and  bad  habits. 

And  in  this  sermon  on  this  occasion  I  shall  urge  directly 
and  indirectly,  all  members  of  the  Christian  families,  espe- 
cially, and  others  as  well,  to  enter  strenuously  upon  the 
work  of  crucifying  passions,  desires,  and  appetites  for  in- 
toxicating liquors,  and  to  foster  the  sentiments  and  taste 
and  to  practice  the  habits  of  temperance. 

Briefly,  some  strong  reasons  why  all  mothers  and  fa- 
thers, sisters  and  brothers,  why  all  children,  teachers,  offi- 
cers, Sunday  School  teachers  and  especially  ministers  of  the 
Gospel  should  totally  abstain  from  the  use  of  intoxicating 
liquor  as  a  drink. 

Science  condemns  the  use  of  alcoholic  or  intoxicating 
liquors  as  a  drink.  The  books  on  "Healthy  Body"  in  the 
public  schools  all  over  the  land  conedmn  it  as  a  poison  to  the 
tissues.     By  the  most  careful  and  thorough  analysis  and 


100  ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER  LIFE 

experiments  it  has  been  demonstrated  beyond  doubt  that 
alcohol  or  intoxicating  liquors  in  both  small  and  large  quan- 
tities te'nd  to  injure,  impair  and  weaken  the  life-giving  cells, 
to  impair  and  weaken  the  actions  of  the  heart,  the  liver, 
the  kidneys,  the  muscles,  the  stomach,  the  brain,  the 
nerves,  the  mind,  the  whole  man. 

Science  shows  also  that  intoxicating  liquors  have  the 
power  of  creating  an  uncontrollable  appetite  for  themselves ; 
hence  another  reason  why  so  dangerous.  Science  shows 
also  that  intoxicating  liquors  are  a  prolific  source  of  insan- 
ity, poverty,  and  crime,  of  widows,  orphans  and  wretched- 
ness. 

Economic  statistics  condemn  the  use  of  intoxicating 
liquors  as  a  beverage,  as  a  prolific  waste  of  money,  hun- 
dreds of  millions  yearly. 

The  business  world  condemns  their  use.  Men  are  ren- 
dered unsafe  and  untrustworthy. 

The  Christian  church  condemns  their  use.  Men  are 
made  very  immoral. 

The  Holy  Scripture  all  through  condemns  their  use, 
leads  even  and  often  to  the  loss  of  souls.     1  Cor.  6 :10. 


SERMON   DELIVERED    TO    THE    WOMAN'S    BAPTIST 

STATE  CONVENTION  IN  SESSION  AT  HINTON, 

WEST  VIRGINIA,  AUGUST,  1917 

Text:  Let  her  alone;  why  trouble  ye  her?  She  hath 
done  what,  she  could. — Mark  14:6,  8. 

She  hath  done  what  she  could — 

This  is  a  weighty  declaration.  It  was  made  on  a  memo- 
rable occasion  by  our  Lord  Jesus,  the  greatest  human  per- 
sonality in  history.  It  was  addressed  to  men  under  train- 
ing for  the  highest  mision  ever  committed  to  mankind  by 
the  author  of  all  being. 

The  words  of  the  text  and  subject  contain  for  the 
men,  for  the  disciples  of  Christ  a  rebuke  intended  to  re- 
prove and  sober  them  in  thought  and  judgment.  For  the 
conduct  of  the  disciples  on  this  occasion  shows,  despite  the 
fact  they  had  been  in  a  Christian  school  under  the  training 
of  Christ  Himself  the  Master  Teacher  for  about  three  years, 
that  yet  they  were  very  imperfect,  narrow,  selfish,  bigoted 
and  blind. 

An  act  intrinsically  beautiful  and  far-reaching  in  sig- 
nificance to  them,  seemed  worthy  only  of  harsh  and  con- 
demning criticism. 

How  often  the  same  is  true  today.  Before  we  know 
anything  about  the  facts,  the  nature  of  the  case,  or  mo- 
tives prompting  the  act  or  the  end  aimed  at  we  plunge  in 
with  adverse  criticism,  seeking  to  tear  down  and  destroy 
rather  than  to  build  up  and  save. 

But  honest  and  sober  thought  usually  reveal  a  beam  in 
our  own  eye  as  the  actuating  cause.  Every  such  occasion 
invites  to  self-examination  and  prayer. 

"Let  her  alone;  why  trouble  ye  her  *  *  *  She  hath 
done  what  she  could." 

These  words  mark  the  beginning  of  that  leveling  among 
the  children  of  men  that  Christianity  was  and  is  designed 
to  accomplish  as  foretold  in  prophecy:  "The  voice  of  him 
that  crieth  in  the  wilderness,  Prepare  ye  the  way  of  the 
Lord,  make  straight  in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  God. 


102  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

Every  valley  shall  be  exalted  and  every  mountain  and  hill 
shall  be  made  low:  and  the  crooked  shall  be  made  straight 
and  the  rough  paces  plain."     Isa.  40:3-4. 
This  brings  us  to  speak  of  a 

LIFE  OF  COMPLETE  SERVICE  TO  CHRIST. 

We  wish  to  consider: 

1.  What  such  service  is. 

2.  Why  it  should  be  given. 

3.  How  it  should  be  given. 

4.  The  results. 

1.  What  such  service  is;  what  it  consists  in. 

In  giving  to  Christ  and  His  service  our  purest  and 
deepest  affection — love. 

Where  there  is  love,  there  is  interest,  keen,  inspiring, 
lasting.     Affliction  becomes  light  and  duties  sweet. 

The  soul  that  feeds  on  love  grows  upon  what  it  feeds, 
and  such  a  soul  is  on  the  road  to  a  frame  of  mind  and  state 
of  being,  where  it  can  largely  realize  and  appreciate  the 
lofty  sentiments  of  the  ancient  Hebrew  rabbis  expressed 
in  the  words : 

Joy  is  duty,  so  with  golden  lore, 
The  Hebrew  rabbis  taught  in  days  of  yore. 
And  happy  human  hearts  heard  in  their  speech 
Almost  the  highest  ivisdom  man  can  reach." 

Yet  still  rising  far  above  is  the  voice  of  one  whose  name 
is  love,  teaching  those  whom  His  words  employ.  Life  is 
divine  when  duty  is  a  joy.  Joy  then  is  the  fruit  of  love, 
that  greatest  thing  in  the  world  which  scatters  seeds  of 
kindness  and  sends  forth  rays  of  sunshine  along  life's 
pathway. 

2.  Why  a  life  of  complete  and  full  service  to  Christ 
should   be  given. 

(a)     Because  God  commands  it. 

"Hear,  0  Israel!  the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord:  And 
thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with 
all  thy  soul  and  with  all  thy  might."     "And  thou  shalt  love 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  103 

thy  neighbor  as  thyself."  "Whatsoever  thy  hand  findeth  to 
do  do  with  thy  might."  "Life  is  the  time  to  serve  the  Lord ; 
the  time  to  insure  the  great  reward." 

"She  hath  done  what  she  could.  "This  measures  up  to 
the  exact  requirement."  "She  built  for  herself  and  for  the 
world  a  monument  and  obtained  the  approval  and  the  praise 
of  Jesus."  "She  built  better  than  she  knew."  "Jesus  said : 
"Verily  I  say  unto  you  wheresoever  this  Gospel  shall  be 
preached  throughout  the  whole  world,  this  also,  that  this 
woman  hathe  done  shall  be  spoken  of  for  a  memorial  of 
her." 

3.  How  a  life  of  complete  and  full  service  to  Christ  is 
to  be  given. 

Christ  is  the  Christian's  model  and  the  Bible  is  the 
chart  of  life. 

Hence  obedience  lies  at  the  foundation.  "Search  the 
Scriptures,  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal  life,  and 
they  are  they  that  testify  of  me."  "Watch  and  pray." 
"Pray  without  ceasing."  "Men  ought  always  to  pray  and 
not  to  faint." 

"Prayer  is  the  Christian  s  vital  breath, 
The  Christian  s  native  air; 
His  watchword  at  the  gate  of  death, 
He  enters  heaven  with  prayer." 

The  Christian  must  have  power  with  God  and  man. 
Bloody  Mary  is  reported  to  have  said:  "I  fear  the  prayers 
of  John  Knox  more  than  all  the  armies  of  Europe."  "There 
seemed  good  reason  for  this  fear."  "Bloody  Mary's  removal 
from,  the  throne  of  England  seemed  a  direct  answer  to 
prayer." 

4.  The  results. 

She  hath  done  what  she  could.  This  foreshadowed 
the  work  of  women  under  the  Christian  dispensation.  The 
required  study  of  the  evil  effects  of  alcoholic  liquors  and  nar- 
cotics on  the  human  system,  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
United  States  and  the  18th  Amendment  are  both  largely 
due  to  woman's  work.  Her  opportunity  for  good  and  influ- 
ence are  constantly  growing. 


A    SERMON    DELIVERED    TO    A    SUNDAY    SCHOOL 

WOMAN'S    AND    MEN'S    CONVENTION    AT    NEW 

MADRID,    MISSOURI,   AND    AT   THE   W.    VA. 

WOMAN'S  BAPTIST  STATE  CONVENTION, 

CHARLESTON,    W.    VA.,    (1)    1906;    2 

(1912) 

Text:    Ruth  1:16-17. 

The  story  of  Ruth  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  most  pathetic, 
sweet  and  beautiful  to  be  found  anywhere  in  the  Bible,  or 
in  any  other  form  of  literature. 

"Intreat  me  not  to  leave  thee,  nor  to  return  from  fol- 
lowing after  thee:  for  whither  thou  goest  I  will  go,  and 
where  thou  lodgest  I  will  lodge;  thy  people  shall  be  my 
people,  and  thy  God  my  God.  Where  thou  diest  will  I  die, 
and  there  will  I  be  buried.  The  Lord  do  so  to  me  and  more 
also  if  aught  but  death  part  thee  and  me." 

These  are  great  words.  They  are  great  because  of  the 
beautiful  sentiments  and  scene  which  they  bring  before  the 
mind.  They  are  great  because  of  the  circumstances  under 
which  they  were  uttered. 

In  the  last  three  chapters  of  Judges,  18-21,  is  found 
the  story  of  the  Levite,  a  horrible  story,  showing  the  very 
worst  phase  or  condition  of  life  in  the  time  of  the  Judges. 

This  period  is  one  of  the  blackest  to  be  found  anywhere 
in  the  history  of  God's  people  and  of  the  world. 

"But  night  brings  out  the  stars,"  and,  "Behind  a  frown- 
ing providence  God  hides  a  smiling  face." 

So  in  this  period  of  moral  darkness  and  gloom  in  the 
history  of  God's  people  the  book  of  Ruth  reveals  characters 
that  shine  forth  as  the  noonday  sun,  and  from  whose  lives 
and  utterances  truths  have  become  crystallized  that  have 
been  quickening  life,  kindling  interest  and  zeal,  stirring 
hearts  and  inspiring  souls  with  increased  vision,  light,  ad- 
miration, love,  hope  and  desire  to  rise  and  accomplish  good 
through  the  centuries. 

We  wish  to  consider: 

1.  That  from  which  Ruth  was  climbing  and  lifting  as 
she  climbed. 


ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER  LIFE  105 

Ruth  at  the  time  she  uttered  these  charming  and  soul- 
stirring  words,  was  coming  out  from  and  separating  herself 
from  her  natural,  heathen  and  sinful  kinsmen,  and  was  re- 
nouncing her  heathen  Gods  and  heathen  religion.  In  this 
noble  and  blessed  action  she  was  tried,  she  was  put  to  the 
test.  For  in  the  journey  of  Naomi  from  Moab  back  to 
Bethlehem-Judah  after  her  daughters-in-law,  Orpah  and 
Ruth,  according  to  the  customs  of  the  times,  had  accom- 
panied her  a  part  of  the  way,  she  entreated  them,  in  most 
pathetic  and  persuasive  terms,  to  return  to  their  people. 

She  said  to  her  two  daughters-in-law,  go,  return  each 
to  her  mother's  house:  the  Lord  deal  kindly  with  you  as 
ye  have  dealt  with  the  dead  and  with  me.  The  Lord  grant 
you  that  ye  may  find  rest,  each  of  you  in  the  house  of  her 
husband.  Then  she  kissed  them  and  they  lifted  up  their 
voices  and  wept. 

Orpah,  under  the  power  of  the  entreaty  and  the 
strength  of  home,  country,  and  kindred  attachments,  re- 
turned, but  Ruth  reached  a  decision  that  is  charmingly 
beautiful  and  of  eternal  worth,  and  she  expressed  and 
clothed  this  decision  in  language  so  rich,  elegant,  lofty,  firm 
and  of  such  intrinsic  worth  that  tens  of  thousands  through 
the  centuries  have  been  led  by  its  beauty,  charm,  power  and 
uplift  to  the  better  life  of  the  true  religion  and  to  walk 
and  work  in  the  light  and  service  of  God  the  Father  and 
Jesus  Christ  His  only  Son. 

2.  The  way  along  which  and  by  which  she  was  climb- 
ing and  lifting  as  she  climbed. 

Jesus  said,  I  am  the  way,  I  am  the  light  of  the  world. 

Ruth  was  climbing  along  that  way  that  leads  from 
darkness  to  light,  from  bondage  to  liberty,  from  degrada- 
tion to  salvation. 

Ruth  had  not  only  come  out  from  and  separated  her- 
self from  her  own  heathen  and  sinful  kindsmen  and  re. 
nounced  her  heathen  gods  and  heathen  religion,  but  she  had 
espoused  the  true  God  and  the  true  religion  and  was  asso- 
ciating herself  with  God's  people.  She  was  moving  on  the 
upward  way. 

Moses,  as  leader  of  Israel,  was  leading  them  from  the 


106  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

bondage  and  moral  religious  darkness  of  Egypt  through  the 
trials  of  the  wilderness  towards  the  land  of  milk  and  honey 
and  towards  the  light  and  saving  power  and  influence  of 
the  true  God.  So  Ruth  in  following  Naomi  was  being  led 
away  from  darkness  to  light,  from  false  gods  to  the  true 
God,   from   immorality   to    righteousness. 

3.  The  goal  of  Ruth's  climbing  and  lifting  as  she 
climbed  was  Canaan,  God's  country,  and  Judah,  God's  peo- 
ple and  true  religious  fellowship  and  service.  God's  serv- 
ice as  a  type  of  heaven  and  its  God,  people,  and  service. 

Faith  in  God,  His  word  and  service  was  the  rock  upon 
which  she  built;  faith  is  the  soil  in  which  has  grown  the 
most  efficacious  and  blessed  fruit  of  the  ages. 

Any  weakling  can  doubt.  But  the  men  and  women 
who  have  been  instrumental  in  lifting  the  world  heavenward 
have  been  men  and  women  of  strong  faith,  as  Abraham, 
Moses,  Joshua,  Job,  David.  And  women  like  Ruth,  who 
could  say,  "Entreat  me  not  to  leave  thee."  And  like  Han- 
nah, mother  of  Samuel.  And  like  Esther  and  Mary  Magda- 
lene. 


A    SERMON   DELIVERED    AT   THE   WEST   VIRGINIA 

BAPTIST  STATE  CONVENTION  AT  BECKLEY, 

W.  VA.,  IN  AUGUST,  1912 

Study  or  give  diligence  to  render  thyself  approved  unto 
God,  a  workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed,  handling 
aright,  or  rightly  dividing,  the  word  of  truth.     2  Tim.  2:15. 

Study,  give  diligence  to  become  a  Gospel  minister  and 
Christian  workman  approved  unto  God. 

These  words  were  addressed  by  the  great  apostle  Paul 
to  Timothy,  his  own  spiritual  son  in  the  Gospel. 

At  the  time  when  he  uttered  or  wrote  these  words  he 
was  old  in  years,  rich  in  experience,  devout  and  consecrated 
in  life  and  character,  energetic  in  Christian  service,  far- 
seeing  in  wisdom,  heroic  in  courage,  anchored  in  the  hope 
of  the  Gospel  and  the  eternity  of  the  blessed  life  beyond. 

I  wish  this  morning  to  consider: 

1.     What  we  should  study. 

All  study  of  whatever  kind  should  be  with  the  view 
and  purpose  of  making  the  Gospel  minister's  preaching, 
life  and  work,  most  effective,  and  thus  securing  God's  ap- 
proval. 

Study,  give  diligence. 

Study  books,  arts,  sciences. 

Study  self  (psychology,  physiology,  etc.). 

Study  others   (history,  sociology,  etc.). 

Study  things  (physics,  chemistry,  botany,  zoology). 

Study   God    (theology,  religion,   spirituality) . 

Above  all,  study  the  plain,  simple  Scriptures,  the  in- 
spired Word  of  God. 

But  we  must  never  forget  that:  "The  heavens  declare 
the  glory  of  God;  and  the  firmament  showeth  His  handi- 
work. Day  unto  day  uttereth  speech,  and  night  unto  night 
showeth  knowledge.  There  is  no  speech  nor  language  where 
their  voice  is  not  heard." 

Hence  God  speaks  to  the  children  of  men  through  the 
whole  realm  of  nature,  of  the  created  universe  as  well  as 
through  His  special  divine  revelation. 


108  ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER  LIFE 

Permit  me  to  say  here  that  I  believe  in  an  educated 
and  trained  ministry,  and  in  an  educated  and  intelligent 
pew  or f- laity,  and  that  the  surest  and  best  way  to  have  an 
educated  and  intelligent  pew  or  laity  is  to  have  an  educated 
and  well  trained  ministry. 

This  is  no  reflection  on  that  large  class  of  uneducated 
and  untrained  ministers  that  have  done  such  a  large  and 
creditable  work  in  the  Master's  vineyard,  only  as  they  have 
through  indifference  and  willfulness  neglected  education  and 
training  and  in  some  cases  have  gone  so  far  as  to  deny  its 
importance. 

2.  Why  we  should  study,  why  we  should  give  dili- 
gence. 

1.  Because  God  commands  it. 

2.  Because  the  individual  minister  needs  it. 

3.  Because  the  Christian  church  needs  it. 

4.  Because  the  world  needs  it. 

God,  speaking  to  His  servant  Ezekiel,  said,  Thou  son 
of  man,  hear  what  I  say  unto  thee;  be  not  thou  rebellious 
like  that  rebellious  house:  open  thy  mouth  and  eat  that  I 
give  thee,  And  when  I  looked,  said  Ezekiel,  behold  an  hand 
was  sent  unto  me,  and  lo  a  roll  of  a  book  was  therein ;  And 
He  spread  it  before  me;  and  in  it  was  written  within  and 
without,  and  there  was  written  therein  lamentations  and 
mournings  and  woe.  Moreover  he  said  unto  me,  son  of 
man  eat  that  thou  findest,  eat  this  roll,  and  go  speak  unto 
the  house  of  Israel.  So  I  opened  my  mouth  and  He  caused 
me  to  eat  that  roll.  And  he  said  unto  me,  Son  of  man, 
cause  thy  belly  to  eat,  and  fill  thy  bowels  with  this  roll  that 
I  give  thee.  Then  did  I  eat  it,  and  it  was  in  my  mouth  as 
honey  for  sweetness.  And  He  said  unto  me  son  of  man  go, 
get  thee  unto  the  house  of  Israel  and  speak  with  my  words 
unto  them. 

This  language  makes  it  very  plain  that  the  minister 
of  the  Gospel  is  to  strive  to  master  the  message  he  is  to 
preach,  that  he  is  to  analyze,  digest  and  to  become  saturated 
and  filled  with  the  Word  of  God  itself  and  then  present  it 
as  a  warm  message  from  God  to  man,  from  God  to  the 
people. 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  109 

Now  just  as  God  commanded  Ezekiel  to  eat  the  roll, 
the  word,  the  message,  to  digest  it  and  to  become  saturated 
and  filled  with  it  and  then  speak  to  the  people,  so  He  com- 
mands you  and  me.  Ezekiel  obeyed,  so  must  you,  so  must 
I.  Obedience  is  the  gateway  to  God's  favor,  to  God's  ap- 
proval. 

Study,  give  diligence.  The  minister  of  the  Gospel  him- 
self needs  it,  in  order  to  do  his  best  and  be  his  best.  All 
through  the  Old  Testament's  sacrifices  and  offerings  God 
demanded  the  best. 

Behold  to  obey  is  better  than  sacrifice  and  to  hearken 
than  the  fat  of  rams. 

3.  That  in  view  of  which  or  the  purposes  for  which  we 
should  study,  give  diligence. 

To  become  master  workmen,  to  gain  larger  vision  of 
truth.  "Where  there  is  no  vision  the  people  perish." 
Study,  give  diligence,  to  have  the  living  Word  kindle  a  flame 
of  zeal  and  sacred  love  in  our  soul,  to  cause  our  light  to 
shine  bright,  to  become  more  faithful  and  fervent  in  prayer 
and  thus  to  come  into  possession  of  more  power  with  God 
and  man,  that  by  all  means  we  might  become  instrumental 
in   God's   hands   of   saving   some. 


A  SERMON  DELIVERED  AT  THE  NATIONAL  TRAIN- 
ING SCHOOL  FOR  WOMEN  AND  GIRLS,  LINCOLN 
HEIGHTS,  D.  C,  IN  THE  SUMMER  OF  1918 

Text:  If  ye  continue  in  my  word  then  are  ye  my  dis- 
ciples indeed ;  and  ye  shall  know  the  truth  and  the  truth  shall 
make  you  free.     John  8:31-32. 

FREEDOM  THROUGH  THE  TRUTH 

I  wish  to  direct  your  attention  this  afternoon  to  the 
subject:     "Freedom  through  the  truth." 

And  I  wish  to  consider  the  divine  message  contained 
in  the  text  under  two  main  heads. 

I.  The  Condition. 

If  ye  continue  in  my  word. 

II.  The  Promises. 

1.  Then  are  ye  my  disciples  indeed. 

2.  And  ye  shall  know  the  truth. 

3.  And  the  truth  shall  make  you  free. 

Looking  backward  as  we  review  the  past,  we  find  two 
great  classes  of  humanity.  The  one  class  is  represented 
by  such  characters  as  Enoch,  Noah,  Abraham,  Joseph, 
Moses,  Joshua,  Gideon,  Ruth,  Esther,  Hannah,  Samuel,  the 
prophets,  apostles,  martyrs  and  pilgrims.  This  class  have 
not  been  wedded  to  this  world,  but  they  have  had  concep- 
tions of  a  belief  in  something  better,  grander,  nobler.  Hence, 
they  have  been  progressive  and  struggled  to  realize  high 
ideals,  to  bless  mankind,  and  to  lift  the  world  upward. 

The  other  class  is  represented  by  such  as  Cain,  Ishmael, 
Esau,  Pharaoh,  the  Sodomites,  Philistines,  Caananites,  and 
the  proud,  haughty  and  disobedient  and  rebellious  of  all 
ages. 

This  class  has  been  short-sighted,  wedded  to  this  world 
and  has  been  able  to  see  little  good  in  anything  that  does 
not  minister  to  carnal  appetite  and  selfishness. 

When  Jesus  uttered  the  words  of  the  text  He  was  in  the 
temple  at  Jerusalem.     It  was  in  the  course  of  passion  week 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  111 

and  two  great  throngs  were  about  Him,  and  the  two  classes 
of  whom  we  have  spoken  were  there.  Jesus  taught  them 
many  things,  uttering  some  of  His  richest,  deepest  and  most 
salient  truths,  telling  them  whence  He  was,  why  He  had 
come  into  the  world,  that  He  is  the  light  of  the  world,  and 
as  He  spoke  many  believed  on  him.  Then  said  Jesus  to 
those  Jews  which  believed  on  Him:  If  you  continue  in  my 
word,  then  are  ye  my  disciples  indeed,  and  ye  shall  know  the 
truth  and  the  truth  shall  make  you  free. 

I.  Let  us  consider  the  condition  (if  you  continue  in 
my  word). 

Life  is  progressive.  This  is  true  of  all  life.  It  is  espe- 
cially true  of  the  Christian  life.  Grow  in  grace  and  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  The  Christian  life  is  spiritual, 
the  highest  type  of  life.  The  best  and  greatest  things 
grow  slowly.  Only  mushrooms  grow  up  in  a  night,  but  the 
oak,  the  cedars  of  Lebanon  that  stand  highest  on  the  moun- 
tain, have  been  growing  for  centuries. 

If  ye  continue  in  my  word.  This  Christian  life  is  a 
race  and  must  be  run  with  patience,  endurance,  long-suffer- 
ing. The  race  is  not  to  the  swift,  nor  the  battle  to  the 
strong,  but  to  those  that  endure  to  the  end.  There  are 
many  good  starters  in  worthy  enterprises  but  they  fail  in 
the  end,  like  Amaziah  and  Uzziah.  If  ye  continue  in  my 
word  then  are  ye  my  disciples  indeed. 

II.  The  Promises : 

1.     Then  are  ye  my  disciples  indeed. 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  world's  great  teacher.  He  is  unique 
as  teacher,  and  His  school  was  and  is  an  unique  Christian 
school.  Those  who  enter  this  school  are  His  disciples. 
Those  who  continue  are  His  disciples  indeed.  The  way  of 
the  disciples  of  Christ  is  spoken  of  as  a  highway,  as  a  nar- 
row way,  as  a  way  of  self-denial  and  sacrifice,  as  a  way 
of  trimming  off  fruitless  branches,  and  purging  those  that 
bear  fruit,  as  a  way  in  which  the  old  life  of  lying,  stealing, 
profanity,  and  corruption  is  put  off,  and  of  putting  on  the 
new  life  of  Christian  veracity,  honesty,  holiness  and  purity. 
These  lessons  every  human  soul  or  immortal  soul  needs  to 
learn  and  must  learn  if  he  continues  in  the  school  of  Jesus. 


112  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

2.  And  ye  shall  know  the  truth. 

Ye  shall  know  that  I  am  the  promised  seed  of  the 
woman  that  should  bruise  the  serpent's  head,  that  I  am 
the  'promised  seed  of  Abraham  by  which  all  the  families  of 
the  earth  should  be  blessed,  that  I  am  that  prophet  of  whom 
Moses  spoke  and  whom  Isaiah  wrote  saying:  "He  was 
wounded  for  our  transgressions,  He  was  bruised  for  our 
iniquities,  the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  him, 
and  with  His  stripes  we  are  healed,"  that  I  am  what  I  claim 
to  be,  the  Jewish  Messiah,  the  long  expected  one,  the  only 
begotten  Son  of  God  and  the  world's  Savior.  These  are 
among  the  golden  truths  of  the  world. 

3.  And  the  truth  shall  make  you  free. 

Free  from  the  guilt  or  penalty  of  sin,  for  belief  in  Jesus 
delivers  from  the  guilt  or  penalty  of  sin,  and  our  suffering 
falls  on  Jesus.  He  suffered  in  our  stead,  the  just  for  the 
unjust.  He  paid  it  all,  all  the  debt  we  owe;  freedom  from 
the  power,  love,  corruption  of  sin.  0,  what  a  glorious  free- 
dom ;  freedom  from  the  fear  of  death,  freedom  from  the 
wrath  of  God,  freedom  from  the  fear  of  the  great  enemy  of 
all  good. 

Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me 
bless  His  holy  name! 


EXTRACTS  FROM  AN  ADDRESS  AT  THE  CELEBRA- 
TION OF  FIFTY  YEARS  OF   FREEDOM  OF  THE 
NEGRO  RACE  IN  AMERICA,  HILL  TOP,  FAY- 
ETTE COUNTY,  W.  VA.,  APRIL  9,  1913 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and   Gentlemen: 

Fifty  years  ago  the  22nd  of  September,  the  famous 
Emancipation  Proclamation  by  Abraham  Lincoln  was  issued. 
Fifty  years  ago  last  January  1st,  that  Proclamation  went 
into  legal  effect.  On  the  9th  of  April  fifty  years  ago  today 
Gen.  Robt.  E.  Lee,  who  had  been  the  soul  of  the  rebellion 
with  the  remnant  of  his  army,  on  the  field  of  Appomattox, 
surrendered  to  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant. 

This  removed  all  organized  resistance  to  the  Union  and 
marks  this  day  in  the  minds  of  many  as  the  day  of  greatest 
memorial  significance  in  the  deliverance  of  the  Negro  from 
American  slavery. 

This  depends,  however,  much  on  conception,  faith  in 
God  and  the  triumph  of  truth,  and  the  strength  of  patriotic 
sentiment. 

All  the  days:  September  22nd,  January  1st,  and  April 
9th,  are  of  blesed  memory  and  deserve  to  have  their  memo- 
ries cherished. 

The  real  benefit,  however,  that  is  to  be  derived  by  us  as 
a  race,  and  by  others  through  us  from  the  celebration  of 
one  or  all  of  these  days  is  the  development  in  our  souls 
of  a  deeper  sense  of  the  worth  and  a  higher  appreciation 
of  the  very  great  privilege  and  blessing  of  liberty. 

It  is  by  contrast  that  we  gain  clearest  views  and  receive 
deepest  and  most  lasting  impressions.  The  present  sinks 
its  roots  deep  in  the  past,  and  in  order  to  know  and  properly 
value  the  present  we  must  study  and  know  much  of  the  past. 
Says  a  great  scholar:  "There  is  no  greater  calamity  that 
can  befall  any  people  than  to  be  forgetful  or  ignorant  of 
their  past." 

God  established  among  the  Israelites  the  Feast  of  Tab- 
ernacles to  keep  them  mindful  of  their  camping,  marches, 
and  trials  in  the  wilderness.     Says  Patrick  Henry,  "I  know 


114  ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER  LIFE 

of  no  way  of  judging  the  future  but  by  the  past,"  and  look- 
ing at  the  blessings  of  liberty  above  slavery  said,  "Give  me 
liberty  or  give  me  death."  We  would  note  and  emphasize 
first  of  all  the  very  significant  truth:  that  from  January, 
1863,  to  the  close  of  the  war,  1865,  about  two  hundred  thou- 
sand Negro  troops  were  enlisted  in  the  U.  S.  army  and 
navy,  and  that  in  the  course  of  these  years  they  fought 
heroically  on  many  battlefields  and  in  many  naval  contests. 
This  circumstance  furnished  to  the  Negro  a  happy  vantage 
ground.  It  put  him  in  the  dignified  position  of  patriotic  and 
loyal  subject,  of  putting  his  life  on  the  altar  of  his  country, 
to  help  save  the  Union,  to  secure  his  own  liberty,  and  that 
of  others,  and  to  make  this  country  indeed  and  in  truth 
"The  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the  brave." 

This  patriotic  and  heroic  service  to  his  country,  lifted 
the  Negro  much  in  the  minds  of  many,  softened  prejudice, 
made  many  friends  and  paved  the  way  for  the  framing  and 
adoption  of  the  13th,  14th  and  15th  Amendments  to  the  U.  S. 
Constitution  and  the  passage  of  the  Civil  Rights  Bill.  But 
with  the  fall  of  the  Confederacy,  April  9th,  1865,  at  Appo- 
mattox, nearly  4,000,000  persons  of  African  descent  in  this 
country  were  legally  and  more  or  less  physically  free,  that 
is,  they  could  not  be  bought  and  sold.  They  belonged  to 
themselves  and  had  the  right  to  contract  and  to  receive  the 
compensation  for  their  services. 

But  under  the  bond  and  handicap  of  illiteracy,  supersti- 
tion, poverty,  prejudice,  jealousy,  lack  of  homes,  of  confi- 
dence, of  experience  in  business  and  self-direction,  amid  a 
hostile  and  aggressive  people,  were  left  this  nearly  4,000,000 
freedmen.  The  question  naturally  arose,  "What  will  we  do 
with  the  Negro?"  "What  must  the  Negro  be  taught  to  do 
for  himself?" 

Some  fifty  or  more  Freedmen's  Aid  Societies  and  active 
organizations  by  the  government  and  the  various  Christian 
denominations  were  formed,  and  centers  of  distress  were 
established  at  Port  Royal,  Fortress  Monroe,  Washington, 
New  Orleans,  Vicksburg,  and  Corinth,  Miss.,  and  Columbus, 
Ky.,  and  Cairo,  111.,  and  elsewhere. 

These  centers  of  distress  were  at  first  under  control 


ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER   LIFE  115 

of  the  treasury  department.  Later  they  were  turned  over 
to  the  army  officials.  Here  the  work  was  advanced  some- 
what along  systematic  lines  by  enlisting  able  bodied  men 
and  giving  work  to  others.  Confiscated  and  abandoned  es- 
tates South  and  West  wese  leased  to  superintendents  or 
organizations  and  given  over  to  the  freedmen  for  cultivation. 
The  government  and  benelovent  societies  furnished  the 
means  and  thus  the  great  body  of  freedmen  reurned  slowly 
to  work.  The  system  of  control  thus  started  rapidly  grew 
here  and  there  into  strange  little  governments  like  that  of 
Gen.  Banks  in  Louisiana,  with  its  90,000  black  subjects,  is 
50,000  guided  laborers  and  its  annual  budget  of  $100,000  or 
more.  Other  systems  of  control  like  this  might  be  men- 
tioned that  covered  a  wider  range  of  territory  and  whose 
workings  are  given  more  in  detail. 

It  was  from  these  systems  that  Gen.  Armstrong  and 
Gen.  Howard  got  their  conception  and  caught  the  inspira- 
tion that  led  to  the  establishment  of  Hampton  Institute 
and  Howard  University. 

The  powers  of  the  Freedmens  Bureau  were  enlarged  in 
1865,  and  given  its  final  form  in  1866.  It  continued  till 
1869.  This  bureau  brought  all  these  little  systems  here- 
tofore mentioned  under  one  central  control.  Gen.  O.  O. 
Howard  of  Maine  appointed  May  12,  1865,  was  commissioner 
of  this  new  bureau  and  began  promptly  the  work  of  his 
office.  The  bureau  invited  continued  co-operation  with 
benevolent  societies.  Nine  commissioners  were  appointed 
and  the  object  of  all  was:  (1)  to  introduce  practical  sys- 
tems of  compensated  labor;  (2)  to  establish  schools;  (3) 
gradually  to  close  relief  establishments  and  to  make  the 
destitute  self  supporting;  (4)  to  act  as  courts  of  law  where 
there  were  no  courts;  (5)  to  establish  the  institution  of 
marriage  among  ex-slaves;  (6)  to  keep  records;  (7)  to  see 
that  freedmen  were  free  to  choose  their  employers  and  to 
help  to  make  contracts  for  them ;  (8)  to  sell  confiscated  pub- 
lic land  for  school  property. 
The  task  was  gigantic. 

After  a  year's  work  pushed  most  vigorously  as  it  was 
the  task  seemed  more  difficult  to  grasp  and  solve  than  at 


116  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

the  beginning.  There  were  three  things  done  in  the  first 
years  well  worth  doing:  (1)  it  relieved  a  vast  amount  of 
physical  suffering;  (2)  it  transported  7,000  fugitives  from 
congested  centers  back  to  the  farm;  (3)  best  of  all,  it  inaug- 
urated the  crusade  of  the  New  England  school  ma'am  and 
the  outpouring  of  Northern  benevolence. 

The  work  of  the  New  England  school  ma'am  and 
Northern  benevolence  has  been  denominated  "The  Ninth 
Crusade."  It  is  a  most  interesting  story.  They  did  their 
work.  In  that  first  year,  it  is  estimated  they  taught 
1,000,000  souls.  Space  forbids  our  going  further  with  this 
interesting  story  of  re-construction,  readjustment  and  de- 
velopment. 

The  opposition  to  the  Negro's  development  by  South- 
ern ex-slave  holders  and  others  had  to  be  overcome.  But 
despite  it  all  the  progress  of  the  Negro  in  fifty  years  has 
no  parallel  in  history.  He  has  increased  in  numbers  to 
10,000,000,  reduced  illiteracy  from  ninety  percent  to  thirty- 
eight  per  cent,  growth  in  wealth,  337,000  farms  owned  in 
their  own  right,  409,717  farmed  under  the  control  as  tenants, 
the  number  of  acres  thus  controlled  and  owned,  38,233,933, 
taxable  property  from  $600,000,000  to  $800,000,000 ;  23462 
church  buildings,  23,770  church  organizations. 


AN  ADDRESS  DELIVERED  ON  THE  105TH  ANNIVER- 
SARY OF  THE  BIRTHDAY  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 
IN  MEMORY  AND  HONOR  OF  HIS  GREAT  LIFE 
AND  SERVICES,  AT  McDONALD,  W.  VA.,  1914 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen,  Members  of  Sunday  School  Un- 
ions and  Forward  Movement  Clubs,  Citizens  of  Fayette 
County  and  Elsewhere :  We  have  met  here  on  this  night  of 
the  105th  anniversary  of  the  birthday  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
to  celebrate  the  day,  the  birth,  and  the  life  of  that  great 
man.  It  is  highly  fitting  that  we  should  do  so.  Longfellow 
says: 

"The  lives  of  great  men  all  remind  us 
We  may  make  our  lives  sublime, 

And  departing   leave   behind  us 

Footprints  on  the  sarids  of  time." 

Life  itself  is  so  marvelous  and  endowed  with  such 
great  possibilities  that,  if  lived  as  is  possible  to  each  and 
every  individual  human  being  to  whom  is  vouchsafed  an 
average  life,  that  life  may  be  truly  said  to  be  sublime. 

Another  great  man  has  aid:  "The  world's  greatest 
need  is  a  'better  man."  This  statement  is  attested  by  the 
fact  that  "In  the  beginning  God  created  man  in  His  own 
image,  upright,  and  when  by  transgression  he  fell  God  gave 
to  the  world  in  the  person  of  His  Son  a  perfect  man  for  its 
redemption,  example  and  eternal  salvation.  The  goal  is 
set  before  us,  the  need  is  ever  present  with  us.  Duty  is 
pressing  and  vocal  in  its  call  to  man  to  aim  high,  rise  and 
shine.  But  in  rising,  in  climbing  the  ladder  of  progress, 
development  and  hope,  man  must  have  something  upon 
which  to  fix  his  vision  and  to  which  to  cling  for  inspiration, 
quickening  interest,  and  to  give  light,  brace  and  strength. 

In  observing  the  lives  of  others  we  can  better  see  our 
own  lives.  In  tracing  the  paths  that  others  have  trod  we 
can  better  see  and  learn  our  own  way  through  the  world. 

In  viewing  and  reviewing  the  deeds  and  achievements 


118  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

of  others,  especially  of  the  great,  we  are  permitted  in 
thought  and  vision  to  pass  through  the  great  and  stirring 
scenes  of  the  past,  to  sit  and  stand,  and  to  walk  and  talk 
with  the  great  and  worthy,  and  thus  to  receive  impressions 
that  are  lasting,  to  have  our  minds  illumined,  stirred  afresh, 
our  sluggish  natures  aroused,  our  blood  warmed  and  our 
wills  moved  to  the  sticking  point  of  greater  resolves,  en- 
deavors and  achievements. 

Prof.  Kelley  Miller,  in  his  "Race  Adjustment"  under  the 
head  of  "Eminent  Negroes,"  says:  "The  glory  of  any  peo- 
ple is  perpetuated  and  carried  forward  by  the  illustrious 
names  which  spring  from  among  them." 

The  great  character  whose  birth,  life  and  deeds  we  have 
met  to  celebrate,  tonight,  according  to  historic  genealogy, 
was  not  of  us  as  a  race.  But  his  lowly  birth  and  humble 
surroundings ;  his  early  privations  and  small  opportunities, 
his  rugged  battle  against  hardships  and  his  glorious  triumph 
over  them;  his  hatred  of  slavery  and  all  oppresison,  his 
strong  and  telling  letters  and  speeches  against  the  accursed 
institution;  his  patriotism,  courage,  humor  and  genius  in 
steering  the  ship  of  state  through  the  fearful  ordeal  of  a 
most  perplexing  and  cruel  Civil  War,  and  the  wisdom  dis- 
played in  the  emancipation  of  four  million  slaves  and  the 
unspeakable  blessing  accruing  therefrom  to  the  freedmen, 
to  the  race  at  large,  and  to  the  wide,  wide  world — these 
things,  these  facts,  ideas,  acts,  principles,  deeds  and  achieve- 
ments make  the  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  cosmopolitan  in 
character,  akin  to  all  mankind  in  relation,  and  a  blessed  her- 
itage to  the  whole  human  race. 

The  life  of  Abraham  Lincoln  then  belongs  to  all  races ; 
it  belongs  to  the  world. 

He  was  born  in  a  log  cabin  near  Hodgensville,  now 
Hardin  County,  Kentucky,  Feb.  12,  1809. 

Lowly  birth  is  no  bar  to  greatness,  but  it  does  involve 
struggle,  dogged  persistence,  unflagging  courage  and 
anchoring  hope. 

But  as  man  struggles,  battles  and  triumphs,  strength 

and  experience  go  into  the  nerves,  muscles,  soul  and  life. 

His  father  moved  with  his  family  into  the  wilderness 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  119 

near  Gentryville,  Ind.  Lincoln  has  learned  to  swing  the 
axe  at  eight  years  of  age.  This  proves  an  early  instrument 
of  his  progress.  There  is  no  royal  road  to  greatness. 
"There  is  but  one  method  and  that  is  hard  labor." 

His  mother  dies,  age  35,  in  1818,  when  Lincoln  was 
but  nine  years  old.  This,  though  a  sad  misfortune,  yet 
for  Lincoln  there  was  involved  in  it  another  element  of  in- 
dependence. 

His  father  married  again  in  1819.  Says  one:  "The  boy 
Lincoln  from  eight  years  of  age  with  the  axe  as  instru- 
ment and  prophecy  of  his  advance  till  of  age,  literally 
chopped  and  hewed  his  way  forward  and  upward."  "He 
learned  to  read  by  the  light  of  burning  pine  knots  at 
night  from  two  books,  the  spelling  book  and  Bible.  Then 
he  borrowed  Pilgrim's  Progress  and  Aesop's  Fables  and 
would  sit  up  half  the  night  and  read  them  by  the  blaze  of 
the  logs  his  own  axe  had  split." 

The  life  of  this  great  man  is  cosmopolitan  and  rich  in 
every  way.  Young  men,  young  women,  study  this  life. 
Don't,  fail,  don't  fail. 


AN  APDRESS:    "THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  THE  SUNDAY 

SCHOOL  AND  ITS  WORK,"  DELIVERED  BEFORE 

THE  W.  VA.  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  CONVENTION 

AT  RONCEVERTE,  W.  VA.,  MAY  1-3,  1910 

The  Sunday  School  is  a  great  institution.  Its  work  is 
strategic,  it  is  with  the  children  and  the  young  people  espe- 
cially. Too  much  stress  cannot  be  put  upon  the  importance 
of  this  work.  To  deal  with  the  mind  when  it  is  in  its  forma- 
tive and  plastic  state,  when  impression  may  be  made  com- 
paratively easy,  deep  and  lasting,  when  the  mind  is  vigor- 
ous and  growing  and  the  habits  are  forming  and  the  char- 
acter is  in  the  process  of  being  moulded  and  taking  on  fixed 
form,  when  lofty  ideals  and  right  principles  can  be  most 
easily  and  successfully  implanted,  cultivated  and  developed, 
and  right  sentiments  awakened  and  strengthened,  a  privi- 
lege and  opportunity  of  greatest  moment. 

The  subjects  in  the  lessons  and  work  of  the  Sunday 
School  which  the  minds  of  the  children  and  young  people 
are  led  to  consider,  to  think  about,  talk  about  and  feed 
upon  are  among  the  most  noble,  lofty,  grand  and  sublime 
that  it  is  posible  to  conceive  of  or  deal  with. 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  great  center  around  whom  all 
things  else  are  made  to  revolve.  "He  is  the  first  and  the 
last."  "He  is  the  rose  of  Sharon  and  the  lily  of  the  valley." 
He  is  the  bright  morning  star.  He  is  the  lamb  slain  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world;  that  taketh  away  the  sins  of 
the  world.  He  is  the  Redeemer  and  Savior.  He  is  the  one 
who  has  been  our  help  in  the  ages  past  and  is  our  hope  for 
the  years  to  come.  Around  Him  are  encircled  the  great 
souls:  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  Joseph,  Moses,  Aaron, 
Joshua,  Caleb,  Samuel,  David,  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Daniel, 
Mary,  the  mother  of  Jesus,  Mary  Magdalene,  Mary  and 
Martha,  sisters  of  Lazarus,  John  the  Baptist,  the  twelve 
disciples,  Paul  and  his  spiritual  son,  Timothy. 

What  lessons  of  redeeming  love,  of  saving  faith,  pa- 
tience, meekness,  long  suffering,,  of  loyalty,  virtue,  self- 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  121 

sacrifice,  self-denial,  of  heroic  leadership  and  lofty,  beautiful 
and  sublime  teaching,  on  the  one  hand,  the  offspring  of  infi- 
nite love.  On  the  other,  what  horrible  calamities,  wretched- 
ness, murder,  slaughter  and  every  form  of  treachery,  diso- 
bedience, corruption,  crime  and  wickedness,  the  offspring  of 
sin,  come  before  the  mind  to  awaken  and  stimulate  the  best 
that  is  in  the  soul  and  kindle  a  love  and  longing  for  the  good 
and  beautiful  and  to  awaken,  foster  and  grow  sentiments 
that  shall  dread,  abhor  and  shun  the  bad,  ugly  and  ruinous ! 

What  stalwart  giants  of  righteousness !  What  lead- 
ers of  men !  What  champions  of  truth  and  of  the  highest 
interests  and  well-being  of  mankind  are  portrayed  in  the 
Sunday  School  lessons  to  the  minds  of  the  children  and 
young  people!  Can  anyone  contemplate  such  lives,  muse 
upon  such  deeds,  trace  the  careers  of  such  lofty  characters 
without  being  instructed,  impressed  and  inspired  with  sen- 
timents of  emulation,  of  love  for  the  true  and  the  beautiful, 
and  with  desire  to  be  better,  truer  and  nobler. 

Now  in  order  that  we  may  better  see,  more  keenly 
feel  and  appreciate  these  great  privileges,  advantages  and 
opportunities  and  duties  as  well,  we  hold  conventions,  where 
leaders  in  this  great  work  may  be  brought  together,  ex- 
change ideas,  re-hear  reasons,  review  the  needs  of  mankind, 
the  claims  and  duties  devolving  upon  each  to  work  for  oth- 
ers, and  to  be  impressed  anew  with  the  value  there  is  in 
certain  lines  of  work  as  a  means  of  uplifting  and  saving  the 
human  race. 

The  history  of  the  progress  of  the  human  race  has 
shown  to  have  human  hearts,  minds  and  souls  stirred  more 
deeply  and  lasting  interest  in  any  work  of  great  importance, 
of  great  significance  to  become  strong,  warm  and  fixed  that 
the  leaders  must  be  brought  together  reasonably  often  in 
associations  and  convention  with  these  definite  ends  in 
view.  Hence  the  importance  and  wisdom  of  these  annual 
Sunday  School  conventions  where  the  workers  from  East, 
West,  North  and  South,  from  the  schools  of  the  churches  of 
different  associations  and  corresponding  delegates  from 
other  religious  bodies  meet  together  to  tell  of  their  experi- 
ences and  observations,  and  to  give  expression  to  their  best 


122  ECHOES  FROM  A   PIONEER   LIFE 

judgment  and  thought  and  offer  their  best  suggestions  con- 
cerning the  advancement  and  improvement  of  the  work. 

It  is,,  often  found  that  in  many  Sunday  Schools  much 
time  is  wasted  in  discussing  questions  having  no  connection 
with  the  lesson,  or  on  questions  of  minor  importance. 

Again,  in  many  Sunday  Schools  there  is  signal  failure 
in  bringing  the  lesson  right  home  to  the  class  and  applying 
its  practically. 

In  the  Scriptures  we  are  taught  to  "train  up  a  child 
in  the  way  he  should  go,  and  when  he  is  old  he  will  not 
depart  from  it."  To  lead  the  child  and  the  young  to  accept 
Christ  is  the  first  and  highest  duty  of  the  teacher. 


A  SKETCH  OF  HARPER'S  FERRY 

"Harper's  Ferry,  in  Jefferson  County,  is  situated  at  the 
extreme  point  of  the  Eastern  Panhandle  of  West  Virginia, 
at  the  base  of  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains,  where  the  State 
line  converges  with  the  lines  of  Virginia  and  Maryland, 
at  the  famous  gap  marking  the  entrance  to  the  rich  and 
beautiful  Valley  of  Virginia  at  the  confluence  of  the  Poto- 
mac and  Shenandoah  rivers." 

The  town  is  about  fifty-five  miles  from  Washington, 
eighty-one  from  Baltimore,  and  ninety-six  from  Cumber- 
land, Md.,  and  is  noted  for  the  unrivaled  beauty  of  its  natu- 
ral scenery  and  for  its  historical  significance.  "The  place 
was  first  mentioned  in  1719  in  the  Chronicles  of  Virginia 
as  Shenandoah  Falls."  "It  was  also  known  among  the 
squatters  of  the  hills  as  The  Hole.'  Peter  Stevens,  a  Penn- 
sylvanian,  is  mentioned  as  the  first  squatter.  Robt.  Harper, 
for  whom  the  town  was  named  was  born  in  Oxford,  England, 
in  1703,  and  came  to  Harper's  Ferry  in  1747.  Harper  pur- 
chased the  squatters'  claims,  besides  a  large  tract  of  land 
from  the  Lord  Fairfax  grant  for  60  guineas  in  gold.  In 
1763  the  town  was  incorporated  as  Harper's  Ferry  by  the 
General  Assembly  of  Virginia.  Robt.  Harper  died  in  1782, 
and  is  buried  in  the  Harper  cemetery  on  Camp  Hill." 

"In  1796  Gen.  Washington  purchased  from  the  Harper 
family  125  acres  of  land  to  be  used  for  an  armory  site. 
Washington  himself  made  the  survey  and  draft,  recognizing 
the  value  of  the  splendid  water  power  there — said  by  some 
to  be  the  finest  in  the  United  States." 

Later  the  government  purchased  300  acres  consisting 
of  Bolivar  Heights  and  Woodland  on  Loudon  Heights.  "In 
1839  the  B.  &  0.  R.  R.  agreed  to  pay  for  the  privilege  of 
crossing  the  Wager  Bridge  at  the  Ferry."  "Later  the  rail- 
road company  bought  the  ferry."  "The  B.  &  O.  bridge  at 
the  junction  of  the  rivers  being  the  key  which  unlocked  the 
treasures  of  the  valley  of  Virginia  was  destroyed  nine 
times  during  the  Civil  War,  and  the  town  itself  changed 
from  Union  to  Confederate  hands  eight  times." 


124  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

In  the  same  year,  1796,  or  very  soon  thereafter  the 
government  commenced  the  erection  of  shops  and  other 
buildings  along  both  rivers  as  a  part  of  arsenal  and  armory 
works,  and  a  Mr.  Perkins,  an  English  Moravian,  was  ap- 
pointed to  superintend  the  works.  From  this  time  till  the 
breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War  the  government  works  here 
furnished  an  important  source  of  livelihood  for  the  citizens 
of  the  town. 

SOME  NATURAL  SCENERY  AND  HISTORIC  FACTS  OR 
EVENTS  OF  SPECIAL  INTEREST 

"On  one  side  of  the  quaint  little  town  Maryland  Heights 
rise  to  an  altitude  of  2,000  feet  above  sea  level ;  on  the  Vir- 
ginia side  are  the  less  lofty  but  equally  picturesque  and  his- 
toric Loudon  Heights."  Much  interesting  history  is  con- 
nected with  these  heights.  Going  back  somewhat  northwest 
from  the  extreme  east  point  of  Harper's  Ferry  along  the 
Bluff  overlooking  the  Potomac,  one  comes  first  to  Magazine 
Hill,  so  named  because  here  at  one  time  the  government 
had  a  large  powder  magazine.  "On  the  very  edge  of  the 
bluff  at  its  heighest  point  commanding  one  of  the  finest 
views  in  the  country,  stands  the  beautiful,  modern  Hill  Top 
House — a  hostelry  famed  throughout  the  United  States. 
Further  northwest,  overlooking  the  Potomac  and  Island 
Park,  arid  separated  from  Magazine  Hill  by  a  deep  ravine  is 
Sunset  Hill  or  Lover's  Retreat.  On  this  hill  may  be  seen 
old  rifle  nits  and  breastworks  of  the  Civil  War  as  well  as  a 
view  of  the  Potomac  and  mountains  well  worth  the  toil  of 
ascent  to  obtain.  Ooopsite  here  in  the  Potomac  is  Island 
Park — a  beautiful  natural  'Dark,  west  from  Harper's  Ferry 
less  than  half  a  mile  alonp-  the  railroad  and  owned  bv  the 
B.  &  O.  Goins-  on  more  directly  west  along  the  bluff,  we 
reach  Bolivar  Heights,  rich  in  war  history,  and  about  two 
miles  west  from  Harper's  Ferry.  From  the  loftlv  heads  of 
those  heights  views  are  afforded  which  for  sublime  magni- 
ficence, have  been  pronuneed  second  to  none  in  the  world. 
About  one  mile  west  from  the  B.  &  0.  station  at  Harper's 
Ferry  is  the  little  town  of  Bolivar,  which  takes  its  name 


ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE  125 

from  Bolivar  Heights,  bounding  it  on  the  west.  Leaving 
Bolivar  Heights  when  in  sight  of  the  beautiful  Shenandoah 
River  and  advancing  eastward  we  pass  the  Lutheran  Fair- 
view  cemetery,  on  the  west  of  Boliver,  then  St.  Peter's  Cath- 
olic cemetery,  then  Circus  Hill,  now  under  cultivation  and 
the  property  of  Storer  College.  Next  we  reach  Camp  Hill, 
commanding  a  view  of  the  Shenandoah,  Loudoun  Heights, 
Herr's  Island,  the  famous  Gap,  South  Mountains  and  Mary- 
land Heights,  one  of  the  finest  views  to  be  found  in  any 
nart  of  the  world.  On  this  favored  and  historic  spot  stands 
Storer  College,  founded  under  the  auspices  of  the  Free  Bap- 
tists in  1867  for  the  education  and  training  of  colored  youth. 
The  school  was  especially  favored  of  heaven  in  securing  the 
location.  'Storer's  main  bnildins-s,  Anthony  Memorial  Hall. 
Myrtle  Hall  and  Lincoln  Hall,  stand  right  on  the  crown  of 
Camp  Hill.  Here,  too.  is  John  Brown's  Fort.  This  insti- 
tution since  its  founding  in  1867  has  done  splendid  work 
for  the  education,  training  and  uplift  of  the  race  and  the 
cultivation  of  a  better  feeling  between  the  races.  Passing 
further  east  we  come  to  the  famous  Lockwood  House, 
standing  on  the  eastern  comb  of  Camp  Hill.  Lockwood 
House,  once  a  chief  government  building,  used  by  the  super- 
intendent of  the  arsenal  and  armory  works  at  Harper's 
Ferry,  and  now  Storer  propertv  through  grant  of  the  U.  S. 
government.  Advancing  eastward  we  next  pass  Harper's 
remetery.  where  the  remains  of  Harper  lie.  South  of  this 
Jefferson's  Rock  where  Jefferson  snent  much  time  in  studv 
and  wrote  his  notes  on  Virginia  and  declared  the  view  from 
that  rock  worth  a  trip  across  the  Atlantic.  Looking  south- 
ward we  spe  the  standing  walls  of  the  famous  Herr's  Mill: 
going  on  eastward  wp  pass  the  standing  walls  of  the  old 
ruined  Episcoml  church,  farther  to  the  right  is  the  staunch, 
new  St.  Peter's  Catholic  church.  Next  we  pass  the  Old 
Stone  dwplling  house  of  Robt.  Harper,  built  bv  Harper  him- 
self in  1780.  On  the  way  to  the  B.  &  0.  station  we  pass 
John  Brown's  monument.  Other  places  of  special  interest 
are  numerous.  Every  spot  about  Harper's  Ferry  is  very 
historic:  indeed  this  is  true  of  the  whole  of  Jefferson  County. 
It  has  the  distinction  of  being  the  seat  of  the  first  settle- 


126  ECHOES  FROM  A  PIONEER  LIFE 

ments  of  the  white  man  in  the  valley  from  the  Potomac 
southward  over  100  miles  From  Harper's  Ferry,  north- 
west ten  miles  in  Jefferson  County,  is  Shewherdstown,  the 
oldest  town  in  the  State  and  containing  Shepherd's  College, 
white ;  eight  miles  west  is  Charles  Town,  the  county  seat, 
containing  the  court,  house  where  John  Brown  and  his  men 
were  tried  and  the  spot  of  ground  where  he  went  througn 
the  climax  of  his  heroic  and  victorious  struggle  for  liberty. 
For  the  reasons  named  and  others  unnamed  Harper's  Ferry 
is  distinguished  as  the  best  known  small  town  in  the  United 
States. 


